Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1842, page 1814: The Cuckoo Knight
"You mean, the fire-wielding martial arts practitioners attacked you?"

During the conversation, both Lann and the other Cuckoo Knight dismounted as a sign of courtesy. The Witcher frowned and asked.

"You claim that they explicitly intervened in Lienia's civil war and unequivocally sided with the Carian royal family?"

“This is not a ‘claim,’” the Cuckoo Knight emphasized the veracity of his intelligence. “It is a fact.”

Lan En crossed his arms, his expression noncommittal: "That's just what you claim to be true, and it sounds ridiculous."

"The Flame Watchers are a direct force dispatched by the Golden Dynasty to the snowy mountains. How could they possibly get involved in the civil war in Lienia, especially since they're on the side of the Kalia royal family?"

"Who can know?" The Cuckoo Knight slung his great shield behind his back, but held his greatsword firmly in front of him with both hands. "But you will see. I can even send someone to take you there in person."

Lan En glanced at the greatsword in his hand.

This sword is solidly crafted and is larger than a typical hand-and-a-half-sword. It is also thickened and widened near the guard.

This perfectly reflects the extraordinary vitality and fighting spirit of the residents in the border region.

But none of these are the key points. The key point is that, apart from the large shield, the weapons used by the Cuckoo Knights are all the same as those of the Golden Dynasty.

Greatswords, spears, bows and crossbows, bows and crossbows... they're all the same.

What about the knights of the Royal Family of Cocaria?
When they fought against the legions of the Golden Dynasty, the Knights of Kalia were known for their powerful combat strength and exquisite equipment.

They have their own set of equipment systems.

They claim to have submitted to the Golden Tree, but they even have their own set of weapon designs, so their so-called loyalty and trustworthiness are naturally not very high.

“I won’t lead the way.” But Lan En wasn’t going to listen to just one side of the story. “However, could you tell me the location of those fire-wielding martial arts cultivators? I want to investigate them myself.”

Lan En was very clear about his role in this mission.

Similar to being parachuted from Rodel to Lienia, directly under the audit and oversight of the two fingers.

He must maintain his independence and not be led by the nose by the deeply rooted, long-standing natives of Lienia, believing whatever they say.

"Why not?" The Cuckoo Knight showed no resistance whatsoever.

He raised one of his hands, which were resting on his greatsword, and waved it behind him. A soldier then walked over with a map in his hand.

"They're right here, at the red dot I marked. Take this; I hope you can find out their purpose as soon as possible. They've neglected their duties on the snow-capped mountain and have absolutely no sense of responsibility."

This is a map of the Lienia region.

The central lake and the narrow landmasses on either side are depicted.

The point marked by the Cuckoo Knight is on the land west of the lake, which is essentially the opposite shore from where Lan En is currently located.

"Thank you. I'll take it."

Lan En didn't stand on ceremony and took the map to put it away.

After Lan En accepted the map, the Cuckoo Knight told him quite a few things.

For example, right here in this small camp blocking the road, there are items they seized from the fire-wielding martial arts practitioners.

It was a flame-fired war chariot shaped like a ferocious and terrifying old man's head. It was three stories high and could be driven by one person.

The old man's head was copper-green, and many fire-breathing pipes protruded from his mouth, like protruding fangs.

It was so thick and sturdy that it would probably take a direct hit from a catapult in the camp to damage it.

“The Flame Watchers have come down from the snowy mountains in numbers, not just in numbers.” Standing beside the captured Flame Chariot, the Cuckoo Knight patted the old man’s bronze-green face.

"They even brought down this kind of war equipment. Doesn't anyone in Rodel think that's wrong? What if they were just trying to catch a petty thief?"

“Nobody told me about this.” Lan En frowned and tapped on the outer wall of the flame chariot. “Is this really the Flame Watchers’ chariot?”

The Cuckoo Knight shrugged: "Besides them, who else in the Golden Dynasty would study the power of fire? Fire is a great enemy of the Golden Tree. Burning the Golden Tree is the most primal and unforgivable sin from the very beginning of life! No living being should ever have such thoughts."

The Golden Tree, or rather, its various predecessors in previous legal eras, are the origins of life in the borderlands.

This is a point that is acknowledged by many races and forces outside the Golden Dynasty.

Therefore, destroying the Golden Tree, which originated from the Elden Ring, is indeed an unforgivable and heinous crime.

"How did you capture it?" Lan En didn't follow up on the Cuckoo Knight's line of thought, but instead asked, "According to you, this thing is agile, has a fast burst of speed in short distances, and is thick and sturdy on the front."

"The driver's seat in the back." The Cuckoo Knight walked halfway around the chariot and pointed to the position for Lan En. "When driving, the person in charge has their back completely exposed. Killing them will make you safe. But be careful, the person sitting in this seat will be amplified by the power of the Flame Chariot, making them much harder to kill than normal."

Lan En glanced at the narrow, exposed driver's cab and nodded.

"Just this one weakness?"

The Witcher asked casually.

The Cuckoo Knight responded decisively: "Yes, this thing is very difficult to deal with. Only the driver himself seems vulnerable in comparison."

"I understand, thank you for reminding me."

By the time the final exchange was over, it was already broad daylight.

The camp blocking Pirum Road continued to bombard the distance. However, while on guard, they moved the roadblocks to allow the Witcher to pass.

Although it was unnecessary, and the wild grass on both sides of the road was no different from the main road to the Qilin, it showed the Cuckoo Knights' support for Two Fingers and the Hall of the Round Table.

It seems that the location blocked by the Cuckoo Knights is an important pass.

After walking a few steps, a forest of sword steles stands beside the road.

Black iron swords of all sizes were planted in the wilderness, and the largest and tallest of them had an inscription engraved on it.

In the First Battle of Lienia, [Red-Haired] Rdagan became a hero.

It's unclear whether this is due to the battle traces from the Age of Gods during the Giant Wars, or simply the natural terrain.

Lienia has a very large and abrupt elevation difference.

In many places, the difference between two places on a flat surface is just one step, but there is a cliff in between.

The entire lake area looks like it's been placed in a basin.

On the narrow strips of land on both sides, those sloping areas that naturally connect the differences in elevation become important roads.

Furthermore, in the Lienia region, large rock pillars protruding from the ground can be seen from time to time.

They either point diagonally upwards, or because the parts protruding from the ground are too long, the rock material cannot support its own weight and collapses and piles up.

Even though it was already broad daylight, the Lienia region seemed to be shrouded in some kind of force, with large swaths of thick fog covering the lake.

On land, the sunlight appears more like the blue light of dusk.

It is clearly connected to the Asian Plateau in terms of horizontal distance, only differing in altitude.

But when you go up and down, it's as if even the background color and atmosphere of the environment are different.

This is by no means a normal climate issue, but rather a difference caused by the long-standing disparity in power between the two regions.

Lan En had already noticed that in this world, the differences in attributes and essence between powers were mostly quite intuitive—they could be distinguished by their colors.

"What do we do now, boss?" The fluffy ball, who had been sitting obediently in the back seat of Lan En, pretending not to speak, looked up and asked, "Should we have Qilin take us directly to the other side? Qilin, are you sure you're okay, meow?"

"Whoosh!"

The ancient dragon of the New World shook its head and snorted.

'Easy peasy!'

But Lan En patted its head, his eyes peering through the thick fog across the lake towards the opposite shore.

“No,” Lann rejected the plan, “Don’t act like you can ignore the terrain, Qilin. Lienia looks complicated.”

"Besides, I read in Baizhi's book that the lobsters in this lake become very dangerous if they live long. We should be cautious until we actually see the monster in the lake."

"Whoops."

Two streams of hot air shot out from the Qilin's moist nostrils.

"I have no objection, but since you won't let me set foot on the lake, you should at least arrange for me to be seated on the boat, right?"

It had gotten used to Lan En's arrangements; as long as it hadn't suffered any losses, that was all that mattered.

“Look at what you’re saying,” Lann patted its head, “Lienia is such a big place, surely there’s room for you?”

After passing the Forest of Sword Monuments that records the First Battle of Lienia, Lann and his companions continued along the Pirum Avenue.

Behind them, two cuckoo knights in the roadblock camp quietly watched the direction the witcher had left.

Without turning his head, the Greatsword Cuckoo Knight ordered, "Report back to the Commander that the Round Table sent the Faded One to Lienia. I think this will be a good opportunity. At the same time, track his movements."

“The Faded One, humph.” The laughter was muffled beneath the helmet. “The loyal dog of Two Fingers, a warrior of the War of Giants… In this sensitive time, let alone if something happens to him. Even if he gets back safely and reports the troubles he encountered on the way, the storm will be brewing.”

"It's going to be very exciting. Whether it's the Caria royal family or Real Lucaria."

The Long-Speared Cuckoo Knight silently retreated and carried out the order.

They did not utter a single word about the potential risks faced by the Caria royal family and the Real Lucaria Academy because of this order.

He raised his hand and wiped the small shield on his left breast, where the 'cuckoo peeking from the side' gleamed.

Although the Cuckoo Knights have maintained a close partnership with the Academy of Reyalucaria since ancient times, every Cuckoo Knight knows perfectly well that—

Our enemy is Caria. But we will never be completely subservient to Real Lucaria.

Kalia is a must-kill enemy, but Rearucaria is nothing more than a weak academic mage with questionable combat skills, a 'nest' from which to be squeezed for profit for a long time.

The cuckoo is a bird that naturally has the habit of laying eggs on its nest.

Although they are both practitioners of magic, the seeds of their division and conflict were sown in an era even more ancient than antiquity.

(End of this chapter)