Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1847-1819. Prayer of the Head of the Watchers

The Cuckoo Knights claim that the Flame Watchers actively participated in the civil war in the Lienia region.

However, when Lan En arrived at the Flame Watchers' camp, the [Head of the Watchers] said that it was the Cuckoo Knights' hostile actions that forced them to continuously increase their weaponry level in order to defend themselves.

They were also forced to stand on the same side as the Cuckoo Knights' enemies, namely the Kalia royal family.

To be honest, Lan En had anticipated this situation of passing the buck before he even arrived here.

After all, when it comes to auditing and supervision, it's rare to find someone who honestly tells you the truth once you get to the local area.

Distinguishing lies and deceptions, and obtaining the true background of the mission and the stances of the various parties involved in the mission from the investigation, is an integral part of this job.

"You and the Cuckoo Knight each have your own version of events," Lann said impatiently. "Who can prove this? Who has the evidence?"

"But whatever the Cuckoo Knight did, the Flame Watchers used legal and compliant procedures to project their power under the snow mountain, which is an act of blatant disregard for their duties."

"But all our actions are to prevent the dangerous power of fire from spreading." Faced with Lann's questioning, Aganti's fiery red beard seemed to swell with excitement beneath his hood, speaking with righteous indignation.

"In other words!" He raised his arms towards the sky, as if to embrace the towering golden tree, "we are protecting the golden tree!"

Beneath his fiery red hair, his eyes, gleaming with a golden, blessed light, burned with fervor: "Your Excellency, a hero who has faded! Is there any act in the world more righteous than this?"

The winds of Lienia swept across the grassy hillsides, carrying a damp mist. The deep blue sky, imbued with local magical energy, appeared dreamlike and beautiful under the glow of the golden trees.

Yagangti's voice is deep and husky, naturally giving people the feeling of a steady, reliable, and tough man.

The blood-robed figures around him sobbed incessantly at his impassioned words, raising their thorny staffs high. The flames on the staffs suddenly surged, producing a muffled sound as the air expanded.

Because of their own actions, the thorns on their heads tore and pierced their skin and eye sockets again, and blood flowed down their faces.

Despite the environment and atmosphere, Lan En's expression remained unchanged.

“A brilliant sermon,” he praised, but his tone was devoid of emotion. “But it’s not your place to say ‘protect the golden tree.’”

Lan En knew perfectly well that he was not one of those faded ones.

However, the way he said it made anyone feel the arrogance that comes from being a 'warrior who has made great contributions and fought from beginning to end in the war of giants,' an arrogance that can be born from his seniority alone, regardless of anything else.

You say this isn't a faded one? Then who is?!

“Of course,” Yaganti replied tactfully, “compared to the heroes of the Faded Ones who wiped out the Snow Mountain Giants, we, the watchmen responsible for guarding the post-war ruins, are nothing.”

Then, Ya Gangti changed the subject: "But that doesn't mean our responsibilities aren't important, does it?"

"The dangerous power of fire still needs to be restrained and guarded against, right?"

He spread his arms and looked around: "This is the duty we are here to perform, Your Excellency."

Arganti put away his flaming mace and gestured for the witcher to enter the simple camp at the rear.

Lan En followed behind, his steps calm and composed.

The camp was very rudimentary, consisting of just a few tents, weapon racks, and boxes for storing supplies.

However, in the center, they lit a large brazier.

Two people in blood-red robes faced the brazier, still bleeding, yet bowing their heads and chanting incessantly.

Besides the blood-robed men who served as servants and low-ranking soldiers, there were also several fire-wielding martial arts practitioners in the camp.

Beneath their hoods, they too had red hair and red beards. Their attire was exactly the same as Aganti's, except that, as the leader of the Watchers, Aganti's armor and mace were edged with gold.

Before Lann could say anything about the scene, Yaganti spoke first to explain.

"We are ordered to monitor the inextinguishable cauldron on the snow mountain, Your Excellency. To do so, we must familiarize ourselves with the flames day and night, lest we become too engrossed in the dazzling golden light of the tree after descending the mountain and lose our composure."

After Lan En entered the camp, his amber cat-like eyes subtly darted around.

He observed the various signs in the camp and the people in the camp.

The fire-wielding martial arts practitioners and the blood-robed men who followed them all revealed their connection to fire.

Even though this was just a very simple camp, their construction efforts here were marked by flames everywhere.

They wished they could hang a small oil dish on every one of the sharpened wooden stakes that made up the camp wall and set it on fire.

Arganti brought Lann into the camp, seemingly intending to use the scene there to demonstrate the loyalty and character of his Flame Watchers.

"Even when we are in the barren snow-capped mountains, we have never forgotten our duties and honors."

Standing by the brazier, Yaganti spread his hands toward Lann to show his sincerity.

“Unlike the magicians of Realucaria, who, despite swearing oaths of virtuous poverty, have long forgotten the meaning their robes represented due to their long lives in this Golden Age.” “We, however, remain steadfast. Your Excellency, please take a look at this.”

Yagangti bent down and took out a thick book from a tent not far behind him.

The book was bound in a hard cover and was fiery red, like the beard and hair of Argonde.

Furthermore, the edges of the pages bear scorch marks, as if burned by flames, with sparks flying everywhere.

On the front of the book cover, an emblem representing the Golden Law, gleaming with golden light, stands prominently.

The emblem of the Golden Law, simply put, is an abstract, lush golden tree encircled in a large circle, with the Elden Ring in front of the golden tree.

“This is…” Lan En looked down at the large book that Ya Gang was carrying out with both hands, “A prayer book?”

“That’s right.” Yagangti stroked the book cover with a devout and sacred expression. “This is what I am currently collecting and compiling, the ‘Prayer Book of Flame Martial Arts Monks’.”

"Your Excellency, you have seen it yourself. The golden emblem of the law on this book cover is proof of our piety!"

Prayer, a magical power system in the borderlands, relies on devout and unwavering faith to cast spells.

A prayer book is a record that integrates many prayers originating from a particular faith, in order to facilitate preaching and learning.

Every word on this medium cannot be faked, because the source of the power of prayer is a devout and steadfast heart.

Not to mention the logo on the book cover, which is the most obvious part of the book.

In this world, each power and each law has its own unique emblem and color. These things are not just symbols, but also represent the power itself.

Therefore, although the book "Prayer of the Flame Martial Arts Monks" presented by Aganti contains flame prayers that the Golden Dynasty feared and rejected.

Ultimately, however, the faith represented by this prayer book remains under the command of the Golden Law, signifying the loyalty and dedication of the Flame Watchers.

Lann looked down, but Aganti showed no intention of taking his hand away from the prayer book.

"I would like to ask you to accept this prayer book, Your Excellency."

At this moment, the leader of the watchers, whose deep voice was like a hot wind and sandstorm, surprisingly revealed a hint of gentleness.

“I know that for the heroes who personally experienced the War of the Giants, the prayers that come from those of us who later guarded the battlefield ruins are probably insignificant.”

"But I sincerely hope that when this prayer book is with you, it will convince you of our loyalty to the Golden Tree and to this glorious Golden Age of Law."

Lan En reached out and took the prayer book. Holding it felt like holding kindling that had been burning and then extinguished for a long time, carrying a brittle and hot sensation.

“I will accept this as proof of your loyalty,” Lann said, turning his eyes from the prayer book in his hand back to Aganti. “But you will not have much time left, Flame Watchers.”

"The messenger of the two fingers has discovered that the thief who stole the dangerous prayer is in Lienia. You now need to gather all the scattered manpower and strength back and not let them wander off."

"And the stolen prayers must be recovered within a week. That is the deadline, Aganti."

Lann held up the prayer book and waved it in front of the head of the Watchers.

"Even if you prove your loyalty, this is the deadline."

Lan En's tone was so stern that there was no room for negotiation.

He knew exactly how to communicate with his targets under the guise of auditing and supervision.

If he dares to loosen his grip even slightly, these audited and monitored targets will pry open the loopholes in his tolerance, constantly testing the limits of his tolerance, and then carefully pushing those limits further.

So from the very beginning, he left no room for maneuver.

Yagangti seemed to realize that they had gone too far in their actions recently.

So he simply shook his head regretfully, and without arguing any further, he accepted Lan En's order.

They promised to complete the arrest within a week and retrieve the dangerous prayer.

With things having come to this, Lan En took the prayer book, turned around, and left the makeshift camp built on a small hill by the lake.

He walked down the hillside, his figure gradually disappearing into the mist by the lake.

As for Yaganti, who watched him leave, the gentle expression on his face only faded like morning dew after his figure had completely disappeared.

He turned and went back into the camp, beckoning directly to a fire-wielding martial arts practitioner.

"The two people with the faded two fingers have all come knocking! We don't have much time left." The two, both with fiery red hair and beards, looked at each other. "Have all the people been arranged?"

(End of this chapter)