Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1834, page 1806: Demigod Godwin

Lord Hyde had already alighted from his carriage, followed by a long line of cars.

Even if it's just to express one's feelings, there should at least be something in the tribute, right?

However, the escort team included many hybrids and demi-humans, whose presence was greatly disliked by the people of the Golden Tree in Rodel, and rumors and gossip arose everywhere.

The necessity of the Hyde lord wearing a mask became apparent at this moment; no one could see the changes in his expression, so everything proceeded as usual.

But soon, all the discussions disappeared.

Because at the end of the human wall formed by the Knights of Rodel, [Gold] appeared.

It was a blond man who was over three meters tall.

He had a handsome and gentle face, and even his elaborate formal attire couldn't conceal his strong physique.

With his appearance, the people of Rodel seemed to realize that the golden tree in the sky was constantly shedding its leaves.

The fallen leaves emitted a dreamlike glow, just like the golden tree itself, like an illusory energy body, yet possessing the characteristics of a solid entity.

However, these fallen leaves were not very conspicuous in the city of Rodel, which was already in a golden hue.

But now, it seems that the appearance of one person has created a resonance of power that makes these fallen leaves shine brightly.

Beneath the colorful golden fallen leaves, the entire vast city seemed to transform into a dreamlike scene.

The people of Rodel, who had been waiting there just to see the prince, were so mesmerized by the beautiful and dreamlike scene that they were speechless.

A moment later, the people of the Golden Tree cheered and praised their "Golden" Prince.

A prince as perfect as the Golden Tree and the Golden Law!

"Wow!"

Even the velvet ball perched on Lan En's shoulder exclaimed in amazement.

Its little paws excitedly tapped Lann's head.

"Boss! He... you two look so alike, meow!"

In reality, the two are nothing alike; Godwin's long hair is like gold, while Lan's is like molten silver.

Furthermore, their figures and faces are quite different.

But intuitively, the plush ball was right—they really do look alike.

The perfection of the emperor's sons is etched deep into their genes, almost to the point of being pathological. Lan En, on the other hand, has always been restraining the morbid pursuit of perfection deep within his genes.

But who can say that this restraint isn't a more persistent and profound kind of perfection?
And [Gold] Godwin?

Under the current golden age, everyone agrees that Godwin is a prince as perfect as gold.

The fact that his title is the most iconic one, "Gold," is proof of that!

Using the name of a nation as the title and name of a prince is something Lan En has only seen once before in the Fireworld: the princes of Lothric, the holy city of the linking fire, and the one chosen as the Lord of Cinder was named Lothric.

This means that the prince is the country!

Almost subconsciously, a sense of annoyance arose in Lan En's mind at the thought of anyone comparing themselves to him.

Anger as if offended.

But almost as quickly as these emotions appeared, Lan En's spirit, honed and tempered through countless trials, swiftly severed these inexplicable emotions like a knife.

His self-adjustment was so rapid that even the velvet ball, who had been with him day and night and was already familiar with him, didn't notice anything amiss.

"We seem to be about the same, but that's just a feeling."

Lan En stroked his chin thoughtfully as he spoke.

"But he's incredibly strong. Even with only his [Spiritual Vision] partially activated, the power emanating from him seemed to me like it was going to turn the entire world golden."

As he spoke, Lan En looked up at the sky, only to see a massive stone dragon that covered half of Rodel's sky.

"No wonder they were able to kill that monster so easily."

Now that Lann has read Gideon Ophniel's collection of books, he knows that the towering stone dragon in Rodel City is neither a sculpture nor magic.

And that was the same Grand Ancient Dragon, Gransanx, who had breached the outer walls of Rodel but was swiftly killed by the Golden Godwin on the inner walls.

The ancient dragons of this world, like those of the world of fire, are life forms that are almost inorganic, like stones.

But they seem to have much more emotion than the ancient dragons in the Fire World, who are like moving inorganic objects.

At least the ancient dragon battle at the border was initiated by the ancient dragons themselves, who came to fight Rodel.

When Lan En looked up, he could see the golden tree leaves falling as if they were nothing, from the sky that should have been obscured by the corpse of Gulansanx.

"Meow?"

The Witcher raised his hand and plucked a golden leaf from the fluffy little head of the velvet ball.

He lowered his hand, his deep eyes looking at the fallen leaf in his palm, his expression first thoughtful, then resolute.

"Indeed, the power of the Golden Tree..." Lan En murmured to himself, "is the power of life." In the distance, the ceremonies of tribute and audience were proceeding as usual.

However, the residents of Rodel were not interested in the ceremony itself; they were simply there to see the prince.

Cheers and praises surged and roared, creating a massive wave of sound and a huge crowd.

But the Knights of Rodel remained unmoved, and the participants in the ceremony had long since grown accustomed to it.

On the contrary, Lan En, after filtering out the noisy background noise with [Lyman's Ear], managed to hear a little of their conversation.

"Hyde, how is Uncle Ge Fuya?" Ge Dewen's voice was as calm and gentle as his temperament.

“My lord has been guarding Stoneville at all times without the slightest slackening, Your Highness.”

“That’s not what I was asking,” the prince’s voice warmed the hearts of the frontier nobles. “I was concerned about his health, Lord Hyde. [Leg extension] is a very direct way to gain strength, but it’s too cruel and too painful.”

Lord Hyde bowed slightly in response, but did not comment further.

"Our lord reveres the magnificent power of the late king and aspires to emulate it. What more can we say, Your Highness?"

After saying this, he not only bowed to Godwin, but also turned around and bowed to another man next to Godwin.

"Are you alright, young master Greke?"

He was a white-haired man, and he looked to be in his thirties, but he always gave off the vibe of a spoiled young playboy.

They seem to be inexperienced in the ways of the world, and therefore immature in their mindset.

He appeared quite pleased and proud amidst the dreamlike, golden, falling leaves created by Godwin.

He acted as if this was his power, frivolous and arrogant.

But because Godwin was attracting everyone's attention, no one noticed him.

“I’m fine, Lord Hyde.” He tried to sound like Godwin. “You don’t need to explain so much to the prince; we’re family.”

However, regardless of their speech, temperament, or even their inner character, there are substantial differences between them that are difficult to bridge.

"But why are you using filthy and lowly hybrids and demi-humans to transport the caravan? Is this Father's intention? Didn't I have someone tell them not to let these things pollute the Altar Plateau?"

Lord Hyde, behind the mask, was momentarily speechless, seemingly unsure how to respond to the son of his lord, who had been left in the capital as a sign of loyalty.

No... do you really think that Nymgford is like the Altan Plateau, right at the foot of the Golden Tree, right outside the walls of Rodel?

Even the mighty Golden Dynasty had to appease the people first when it came to the frontier regions!

But if you were to say this to a young master who has grown up in the capital, you would have to go on and on, and there's no guarantee he would understand.

Lord Hyde could only reply dryly, "This is indeed Lord Griffia's will, and I can only comply, young master Griff."

The same scene seemed to occur every time tribute was paid, so Grek would only be annoyed for a short while before it passed.

The softly glowing leaves continued to fall, when suddenly a fierce wind howled from the sky!
A beautiful, colossal beast, entirely white in color, soared across the sky above the royal city!

Another cheer erupted from the crowd.

Fulsans, a close friend of Godwin (Gold).

They became friends after fighting on the battlefield of the Ancient Dragon War, and in the end, they turned enemies into friends. [Gold] Godwin ended the Ancient Dragon War, which had been heading straight for the capital.

So much so that even in the present day, a belief in ancient dragons has emerged in the royal capital of Rodel. People consider this belief to be a branch of the Golden Tree faith, and not an act of apostasy.

At the end of the tribute mission, Prince Godwin emitted a gentle yet vast golden light.

He held the holy seal, the medium for casting the spell, to his chest. Finally, as he raised his arm, the golden light emanating from him suddenly expanded, engulfing the entire city of Rodel!
[Blessings and grace].

The warm golden light swept over everyone's body, making them feel refreshed and relaxed, and instantly soothing their physical pain and injury.

Golden light sweeping across the land, illusory golden leaves falling down, and an ancient dragon billowing through the sky!
[Gold] Godwin's prestige and power, the influence of the first in line to the throne of the Golden Dynasty, are undoubtedly demonstrated here!

After performing this 'simple' Golden Tree Prayer with his own power, Godwin frowned almost imperceptibly and looked towards the terrace next to Rodel Avenue.

All one could see was a sea of ​​people, a scene no different from anywhere else.

The Witcher had already turned and left with the velvet ball.

He restrained the aura emanating from his body, allowing the golden light of Godwin's Blessing to shimmer unobstructed on his skin.

If he had reacted a little slower, he might have blocked the light from shining through.

This move is a bit too conspicuous.

"His healing power alone is not far from that of Gwyneth Paltrow... plus the fact that he was able to kill Granzanx."

"A prosperous, rather than decadent, age of gods."

Lan En examined the golden light in his hand and the golden leaves that kept falling, muttering to himself.

"A golden demigod... truly lives up to his reputation."

(End of this chapter)