Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1717 1689. The Knights’ Rejection
Foltest, who already had a heavy expression on his face, now looked even more frozen.

His words were as hard as if they were squeezed out from between his teeth.

"Do they know what they are doing?!"

Triss remained silent and did not use magic to convey her words.

"They defied the King!"

Foltest stepped forward and spoke sharply.

"But with all due respect, Your Majesty." The sorceress lowered her eyes, "You are not their king."

"That's also a sponsor! Have the Knights of Embers been eating air and sleeping on grass in Temeria these past few years?!"

The magical aura of chaos power on Triss's hands never fades.

"According to them, Your Majesty," the sorceress looked at Foltest, "if what we are talking about today is only material transactions, then it is not honorable for you to use this to restrain the Knights of Embers. This is a threat to ask the knights to violate the spirit of chivalry."

"And if you insist on doing so, the Knights of Embers will return all the material support that Temeria has provided over the past few years within a month."

"'The Knights have their own principles, and the reason why principles are called principles is because they are unshakable.' These are their exact words, Your Majesty."

"Shit!" The King of Temeria cursed loudly, and he was not finished yet, "Filthy stone in the toilet! Must it be at this time? Must we insist on chivalry at this time?!"

"They are immersed in their own spirit of sacrifice! In their spirit of dedication! And they feel good about it, and act like they are righteous? This is sick!"

"A mountain is falling down!" Veins popped out of Foltest's forehead, his face turned red like a tomato, and he pointed his finger at the top of his head. "How many people will die? How many families will be destroyed? Can't a bunch of knights think about it? At least think about it!"

"After all, isn't this also to free their leader from the curse? What? Is loyalty not a chivalrous spirit?"

Foltest was under tremendous mental pressure at this time, but he still maintained his ability to think.

He immediately found the 'weakness' that the Embers Knights cared about most, which was the safety of their leader.

"Yes!" the king said fiercely. "Triss, just emphasize this point to them: What about Lan? They don't want him to be free? Is it really enjoyable to be entangled with that curse?"

Magical communication was very efficient, and the sorceress soon raised her head again.

"Your Majesty," she said, "The Knights of Embers believe that the Lord's will must be consistent with the Knights' will on this matter. There is no need to discuss it."

"They have complete trust in Lan, and Lan also has trust in them. In this way, they will all do what they are supposed to do and work together to solve today's problem."

"Solve it?" Foltest yelled. "How? With a bunch of megalomaniacs? Narcissists? Have you ever seen another order of knights so obsessed with their own power and abilities?"

He gasped, feeling that all the pain and entanglement he had just felt in his heart as he struggled with his moral bottom line had been wasted.

His face was still red with anger.

After a long while, when the radius of the ever-dark realm had expanded to cover the length of a basketball court, John Natalis tentatively began to persuade them.

"Wait a little longer. Wait a little longer."

Foltest rubbed his face fiercely, muffled his face and voice in his hands: "Let the plague take me away. Damn it!"

His voice sounded helpless and anxious, but at the same time, a sense of relief that made him feel ashamed quietly emerged in his heart.
-
And in the Nilfgaard military camp, at the original location of the command post.

At the observation post of the command post that was in a mess due to evacuation and rout, two Embers Knights were looking at the ever-dark realm that was still expanding in the distance.

"It's quite a scene." One of the Embers was still wearing a full armor robe, "But I thought Foltest was one of the better kings."

"He is indeed good, but he is only among the kings." Another Ember Knight nodded. There were traces of burnt armor on his body, and his robe must have been torn apart and thrown away after being set on fire.

At this time, he snorted coldly: "Now that you are really in trouble, aren't you still like a blindfolded bull? You think you can find a way out by rushing around recklessly."

At this point, he crossed his arms and said, "What does he think of those lives? Throwing living people out to ward off disaster when things get tough, how is that any different from a superstitious idiot performing human sacrifices?"

The hooded Ember Knight remained silent, seemingly in silent agreement.

At this time, even though it had not been too long since the dark field erupted, it was only about half an hour.

But the radius of the normally dark area also expanded outward by 3,600 meters! 3.6 kilometers!

It’s not far from here.

The Ever Dark Realm has expanded into a huge area that cannot be ignored by anyone.

Originally, the Northern Allied Forces were still chasing the fleeing soldiers and capturing prisoners in the Nilfgaardian camp, while the Nilfgaardians were running for their lives in a panic.

But now, most people have fled further away.

Even those who were frightened and stunned by the failure on the battlefield no one dared to stay here at this time.

Now, whether they are from the north or the south, everyone has become a deserter with their backs to the battlefield.

The Nilfgaardian military camp, which was noisy and bustling half an hour ago, was now filled with people coming and going like a gust of wind, leaving behind corpses, blood, and mess.

But the two Embers Knights standing in the command post were chatting with each other as they looked at Chang An who was still approaching in the distance.

It was as plain as two friends just finding things to talk about to pass the time.

"Its expansion speed has slowed down a lot." said the Robed Embers Knight. "This is the effort made by the adults inside."

"So we have to work hard and solve this problem." The Ash Knight, whose robe was burned, put down his arms that were crossed over his chest, turned and left, without even glancing at Chang An who was rolling over.

"Fewer people is a good thing. At least we don't have to worry about someone being frightened and carrying out Foltest's orders to massacre those people."

"Just in case." The Robed Embers Knight also turned around and followed, "We both have to keep an eye on those people."

The people who were kept in the cart and treated like animals were watched and protected by these two.

This is due to the justice concept of the Embers, and also because the Embers are trying their best to avoid causing greater casualties among these humanoid livestock, which would lead to more unpredictable changes in the intensity and manifestation of the curse.

The sound of horse hooves rumbled like thunder, lingering and echoing in the dry black woods at the end of winter.

Lincoln's face was stern and serious, and he removed his fingers from his temple.

This was his habitual action when he received a telepathic call from the warlock. It didn't matter whether he did this or not. It was just a habit of his now as a Cintra who once rejected magic.

Just now, Triss had a telepathic conversation with the Knights of Embers, and in the end, he, the clerk, responded on behalf of them.

Of course, his battle-brothers were as confident and honorable as ever, and as devoted and loyal to each other.

They had no objections or disagreements regarding the strategic direction that had already been decided.

Even within the sorceress's telepathy, their wills were as uniform as a well-organized and rigorous army.

But the more this happened, the deeper Lincoln's heart became.

In his mind, he always felt that he had not done his job quickly and efficiently when he broke into the isolation zone of the Nilfgaard military camp, which led to the accidental deaths of those three or four thousand poor humanoid livestock, and then the curse got out of control.

His spirit remains strong, but the responsibility he shoulders is still heavy.

The time is getting more and more urgent, and the darkness is getting wider and wider. He regards all of these as his responsibility.

Heavy responsibilities can often crush a person's spirit, but that doesn't include the Order of Embers' scribes.

"Breathe~blow~"

Lincoln's breathing was regular and skillful, maintained steadily as he moved in harmony with the horse's back.

He is adjusting his physical and mental state.

And with his demon hunter senses elevated to the extreme, he did not miss any traces on the route where the horse galloped past.

Ordinary people would be crushed by the weight of responsibility, but for him, it was a spur.

His eyes darted rapidly in his sockets, and Lincoln placed two fingers on his temples.

In the communication network that the sorceress had built for the Order of Embers, information and commands flowed in an orderly and concise manner.

"Five abnormal traces were found in the first section of the route map. After investigation, they were cleared of suspicion. Over."

"Eight abnormal traces were found in the fifth section of the route map. There are many animal trails here. We still need time."

“The second leg of the roadmap.”

Lincoln wanted his brain to work as fast and efficiently as his master's. But he couldn't do it at all, and could only do his best within a limited scope.

They divided the route map into nine sections, and assigned several Embers to each section to track down the trail. Lincoln was now in charge of the fourth section.

According to the timetable, the carriage carrying the big bell should be at that section after the collapse of the Nilfgaard army.

"The first section has been checked, and the staff will move on to the fifth section."

Lincoln made brief arrangements, and at the same time his eyes lit up slightly.

He had found quite a few clues within his patrol area, and now there was a new one.

It was the trace of a horse that had passed through the woods and finally reached the road.

Lincoln pulled the reins slightly to slow down the horse. During this time, his demon hunter senses detected the characteristics of the horse's hoof prints passing through the forest.

Under the demon hunter's senses, tiny features that ordinary people cannot distinguish are very clear and can be distinguished in their eyes.

After noting the characteristics of the horseshoe print, Lincoln began to patrol the road to see where it was going.

(End of this chapter)