Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1864, Section 1836: Spells
"It's just that we live in the current Golden Age of Law," the giant tortoise said, its expression not as stern as Lan En's, but rather as if it had seen it all before. "Do you remember what I said, Lord Lan En?"

There are no heretics in this world; everything can be combined and integrated.

"The giants' annihilation flames, the evil god of fire?" Milier shook his head. "They were only identified as heretics because they were seen as a threat by the current Golden Law, failed in their struggle against it, and the era of the Golden Law successfully arrived."

After these past few days of getting to know each other, Lan En could somewhat understand the meaning behind what Milier was saying.

In this world where the border lies, all life and even power originate from the Elden Ring, formed from a golden meteor from ancient times.

In other words, at that time, all the forces and all life in the world were one, namely—the Primordial Golden Tree [Life Forge].

In this situation, the mere power of flames, even the inextinguishable ash flames, and the fiery evil god representing this power, are nothing more than a part of the Furnace of Life.

How can it be considered heresy?
Later, the chosen god began to reveal his laws to the Elden Ring, creating his own era of laws. The Golden Tree changed accordingly, leading to the Golden Law Era we know today.

The power of fire can only threaten the golden trees of this era.

As for the Elden Ring, which forms the foundation of the Golden Tree, there is absolutely no question of heresy. It is simply a power that it has differentiated and evolved from.

If one day the Eternal Queen and her consort also disappear or fall, and someone reveals the laws of fire to the Ring of Elden, then creating a 'Fire Age' where the Golden Tree burns fiercely would be entirely possible.

Ultimately, the fire giants lost to Queen Marika, the divine being who wielded the Golden Law. They could not overcome this law that regarded fire as heresy.

Queen Marika's laws were enforced through the Golden Tree and the Ring of Law, and the gods became gods. Only with the advent of the Golden Law did they solidify their status as heretics.

“You are knowledgeable, Milier.” Lann half-squatted and spread his hands. “But times have changed. Now the power of fire is heresy, and the Eternal Queen upholds the Golden Law… You should watch your words.”

Lan En smiled teasingly, but beneath the smile lay a serious expression: "Don't let it be that when we meet again, all you'll be left with is a turtle skeleton and its shell."

“I am not a reckless person who does not understand the situation, sir,” the giant tortoise chuckled. “Besides, my body is no different from a stone, and when I die, my flesh and bones will not separate, haha.”

Lan En patted the edge of its shell, making a dull thud. It was indeed very sturdy.

The plush ball circled around the talking turtle, revealing the cat's curiosity.

Beneath the surface of relaxed banter, Lan En's eyes revealed deep thought, and a waterfall of data was cascading down his retina from the corners.

After Milier confirmed the inner thoughts and core beliefs of this legendary prayer, Lann finally made a bold deduction about the abnormal behavior of the Flame Watchers!

—The Flame Watchers, originally sent by the Golden Dynasty to the snowy mountains to monitor the Flame Cauldron and the only surviving Flame Giant… may have been bewitched by the inextinguishable flames.

This shift in faith inevitably manifested itself in prayer books, which form the foundation of faith.

Of the prayers in "The Prayer Book of the Flame Martial Arts Monk", Lan En only learned a few that interested him, but he gained a basic understanding of the rest.

The entire book of prayer's message, from the very beginning about 'protecting oneself from the flames' to the middle section about 'even when using the power of the flames, we should be mindful of the burning pain, for we are merely the guardians of the flames'.

But then it suddenly changes: by using the power of fire, it can actually have little effect on oneself.

The shift was too abrupt and completely defied the normal process of faith transformation and development. It was as if someone had cut a piece of it out of the middle.

But... Lan En's finger unconsciously tapped on the parchment in front of him.

When the legendary prayer of the [Evil God's Flame] appeared before him, the missing parts of the faith revealed by the Flame Watchers were largely filled in!

Their complete faith trajectory, as reflected in their prayer book, should include a final stage in addition to the three stages mentioned earlier—complete conversion and apostasy! From believers in the Golden Law to believers obsessed with fire!
"Flame Watchers... Ha, they must have two prayer books inside!"

Lan En chuckled softly.

"【The Flame of the Evil God】is the page recorded in the latter prayer book. In that prayer book, their stance will be entirely from the perspective of those obsessed with fire and explorers of the fire giants."

“They cut their own faith into two parts! The first part still retains the belief and loyalty to the Golden Dynasty, so the book cover can still be printed with the powerful emblem of the Golden Law. The second part... I guess the cover of the prayer book should be like that.”

Lan En tapped the parchment containing the [Evil God's Flame].

At the crossroads, the emblem carries symbolic and tangible power. The prayer of the "Flame of the Evil God" naturally also bears this emblem when it is released, and on the pages of recorded texts.

It was a fiery red ring, inside which was a similar flame vortex pattern that Lan En had seen in the single eye with his [Spirit Vision].

“It seems you have a very deep understanding of the fire faith,” Milie nodded up and down, praising gently and sincerely. “Truly remarkable.”

Being able to trace the faith structure within a prayer book through its study is something only someone with exceptional theological talent can accomplish.

Milier didn't know exactly how long Lann had possessed the "Prayer Book of Flame Martial Arts Monks," or how long he had studied it.

However, it is quite remarkable that someone could deduce the emblem used on the cover of the remaining possible prayer book based solely on a prayer book whose internal structure was abruptly cut off, and a single page of prayer.

Lann didn't speak; he was still thinking about the Flame Watchers.

By dissecting the threads of faith to maintain their facade, the Flame Watchers are undeniably ruthless. For those like them who can cultivate the art of prayer, faith is practically life itself.

Compared to this approach, Lan believes that if given a choice, they might prefer to cut their bodies in two.

Millie, who had lived for an unknown amount of time and witnessed countless eras, seemed to have seen through the Witcher's thoughts.

It first shook its head, pushing the curious kitten that had come close to its head away, before speaking.

"Fire is a cruel power; its prototype is sorcery. It's normal for those who believe in it to become cruel as well."

Upon hearing this, Lan En looked up, his previously thoughtful expression now tinged with curiosity: "Spellcasting?"

As he half-squatted, his left hand, resting on his knee, unconsciously rubbed his index finger and thumb together.

He was extremely skilled in sorcery. After all, now, he could simply open his left hand to ignite a flame of sorcery and then cast a spell.

However, not all spells are the same.

His sorcery fire comes from the world of fire, and its roots, according to the Book of Izaris, can be traced back to the ancient gods of the world of fire, the Old Witch Izaris and her daughters.

But this is a border area.

“Spellcasting is an ancient art,” Milier added, seemingly knowing everything. “Ancient and cruel. It’s perfectly normal for a young man like you not to have heard of it.”

"But actually, defining the scope of sorcery is quite simple: sorcery is the power that can only be activated or enhanced through sacrifice."

"Among them, sacrificing or torturing others is relatively common, and can only yield relatively common power in return. Truly superior spells require sacrificing or torturing oneself!"

"Those who practice incantations must be ruthless. Whether it's towards others or themselves."

“That’s a fresh perspective,” Lan En nodded subtly.

"So, according to you, the power of the fire giants all belongs to sorcery?"

At this moment, Lan En was still thinking.

The Flame Watchers have betrayed the Golden Laws of the Golden Dynasty, and their hearts have become prisoners of the flames they watch over.

Such apostasy will surely cause a huge uproar in the long-peaceful Golden Dynasty!
It might even provoke Queen Marika to kill all the Flame Watchers in a fit of rage.

However, this is not a major issue; at most, it will have some impact on public opinion among the people of Golden Tree.

After all, the Golden Dynasty was at its peak, so what kind of trouble could a mere group of Flame Watchers possibly cause?
As for public opinion and other impacts?
When has the Eternal Queen ever cared?

When she had just finished the last battle of the War of the Giants in the First King, she immediately stripped the entire legion there of their blessings and expelled them from the borderlands.

When is it necessary to explain to anyone?
Prince Godwin was with her in Rhodes at the time, but he did nothing but watch his biological father leave and Radagan became his second consort.
The Eternal Queen's authority was absolute during the Golden Dynasty.

Therefore, Lan En was not worried that the Flame Watchers could cause any major trouble that would prevent him, a traveler who had come to the border region through the Celestial Convergence Rift, from having a peaceful stay during his stay.

Surely he couldn't possibly be staying in this stable and long-standing golden dynasty for such a short period of time, and something earth-shattering or earth-shattering could happen in the border region.
Having uncovered the Flame Watchers' apostasy in Lienia, he was more than capable of returning to the Hall of the Round Table to report back to Sir Hundred and the legendary Two Fingers.

This is also enough to repay the hospitality and help I received in the round table hall.

Feeling relieved at having completed a task, Lan En put away the [Evil God's Flame] prayer on the ground.

As he tucked the parchment into his pocket, he casually asked.

"Spells... This power is cruel, but nowadays even written records of it are rarely left. Was it destroyed by the Golden Dynasty?"

“That is indeed the case,” Milie replied humbly. “The power of magic once belonged to the fire giants, and also to Mount Gemir. But both were subsequently conquered by the gold…”

"and many more!"

Milie was interrupted halfway through his sentence. The giant tortoise looked up and met the Witcher's wide-eyed cat eyes.

The Witcher blinked. "You mean... Mount Gmir? Mount Gmir, the demigod Raccard's?!"

Milie nodded calmly as always: "Indeed, Lord Lann. Mount Gmir was a place where sorcery flourished in ancient times."

"The flames of the fire giants, and the lava of Gmir, are both extremely dangerous, powerful, and cruel forces."

"Of course, power is power, and knowledge is knowledge. If you can find any fragments of those spells and bring them here, I would be just as happy. We can study them together and learn from each other."

"After all, there are no heretics in this world; everything can combine and blend together."

(End of this chapter)