Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1929 1901. Traveling together
It was fortunate, but Melina was still dead; her physical body had collapsed.

After a brief examination of Melina's body, Lan En discovered that even in her soul form, she had burn marks on her hands.

It's estimated that she died from being burned.

But if it's considered unfortunate, at least in her condition, her soul and body have been separated. The pain and torment in her body, which is basically beyond saving, cannot be transmitted to her soul.

Compared to those in Rodel City who wail day and night yet remain unable to find relief, they are already incredibly fortunate.

In the past, Rodel was located at the foot of the Golden Tree, the place closest to the source of life and the mighty power of this boundary.

Under the blessing of the Golden Law, everything is orderly and as stable as gold. It is the safest, most prosperous, and most orderly place in the border region.

However, after just a few days of successive upheavals, the incessant wailing within the inner city transformed this magnificent and grand city into a somber and desolate place.

The magnificent white walls, the dazzling golden roofs, and the drifting fallen leaves—all of which would normally be exceptionally beautiful—become, in contrast, eerily eerie backdrops.

The people of the Golden Tree, who had lived under the Golden Law for so long, had never experienced such a shock.

Now, even they themselves feel that this great city where they live, entertain themselves, and admire has become something they can't understand and that terrifies them.

As a result, fewer and fewer people went out on the roads, and some even fled to unknown places outside the city of Rodel.

Rodel, which once teemed with tourists and whose wide streets were congested, is gradually showing signs of becoming a ghost town.

Melina appeared before Lan En in spirit form, and he had no doubt that Melina was Black Blade Night, the one who used the power of the other half of the [Death Rune] to kill her own physical body.

After all, perhaps no one is more involved in or knows more about what happened on the night of the Black Knife than Lan En.

The Witcher even met the mastermind directly.

The demigod [Princess of the Moon] orchestrated the Black Knife Plot Night, and the person who took away Prince Godwin's chance of physical death must also have been part of Lani's plan.

Although Lann doesn't yet know Melina's true identity, given her presence in Rodel, it's unlikely she's one of Lani's people, who has disappeared and is now hiding her whereabouts.

How could such precious power as the Death Rune be used on an insignificant character?

Melina remained silent in response to the witcher's speculation, neither confirming nor denying it.

Surprisingly, whether it was because the girl's emotions had completely cooled down from just experiencing death, or because she truly had extraordinary experiences, Lan En couldn't glean much information from her expression.

“I understand your fear right now,” Lann patted Melina on the shoulder, “but why do you feel safer with me around?”

"I went to clear the ruins and dig out your bodies to arrange and place them, but that was only because I was assigned a task. You shouldn't have too many expectations of me."

The Witcher smiled gently, even making a self-deprecating remark, hoping to soothe the girl's spirit body, who had only been dead for a few days.

That's all he can guess for now.

So Lann used the same tone he used to coax Ciri as he had used on a little girl to try and comfort Melina, hoping she could continue to live with her spirits intact.

Come to think of it, Melina looks about the same age as when she last met Ciri.

Thinking of this, Lan En's smile softened even more.

However, Melina herself seemed somewhat bewildered and almost absurd by this coaxing approach and gentle smile towards the little girl.

She stared blankly at Lan En, blinking rapidly, then subtly turned her head away, shifting her gaze away from his smile.

"As you can see, I am merely a soul."

Melina, draped in a large cloak, remained kneeling motionless, her voice as calm and indifferent as it had been at the beginning.

“If there is danger, or if you are worried that my presence is hindering your actions, then I can become completely astral and only appear when needed.”

As she spoke, Melina shook her cloak and stood up.

Her entire body gradually became ethereal, and after a burst of pale blue light, she disappeared completely.

It then reappeared within the same spot of light.

This is the state of complete spiritualization she was referring to. In this state, unless there is a means that can detect and harm the soul, she is essentially invisible.

However, if you follow a powerful warrior like Lan En in this manner, even if you encounter an enemy, they will definitely focus their attention and countermeasures on Lan En immediately.

The borderlands are not the world of fire, a special world where soul power is widely applied to almost all spells.

Who would bother preparing a difficult and rare soul spell to fight against a warrior like Lan En?
Their energy was definitely focused on directly targeting warriors like Lan En.

So Melina seems quite safe with the Witcher by her side.

The Witcher glanced at the spirit girl who was staring straight at him with one eye, then turned to look at the velvet ball and the Qilin. After a moment, he clicked his tongue and said, "Let's leave it at that for now."

He stood up: "You need to get used to life as a soul first. The Golden Tree is no longer a place for souls to dwell."

"You can stay with me for a while, but be careful to protect yourself... Tsk, don't keep that look on your face. Try to think more positively. You can't afford to be burdened by your health right now."

"The Golden Law has collapsed. From now on... you might have an easier time than most people on the borderlands."

Speaking of 'the days to come', Lan En couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth.

The reason is that the prospects for the border region are not optimistic. Compared to the golden age of Radiance, it will most likely only decline. The only difference is how steep that decline will be.

Using this as a pretext to encourage optimism is truly a ridiculous joke.

During the previous era of stable Golden Laws, the people of the Golden Tree practically lived in an immortal paradise.

Now, in this period just after the Golden Age of Law has come to an end, they have returned to the human world.

However, as the Golden Law collapses over time, more and more people will be injured and wounded in this chaotic world, suffering no less pain, yet unable to find relief in death.

Furthermore, the healing capabilities and resources in border areas are absolutely no match for the progress of people attacking each other.

They are heading straight for hell with unstoppable force!
Melina did not show any other expression on her face despite Lan En's awkward attempts to comfort her.

In fact, the girl seemed to find it almost incomprehensible that Lan En asked her to 'not always have the same expression'.

She looked at Lan En with a detached and calm expression, as if to say, "Why would anyone make such a request of me?"

Lan En felt that she seemed a bit difficult to deal with. Although she looked to be about the same age as Ciri, compared to the cheerful and boyish Ciri, her aloof demeanor made her seem unapproachable.

However, the Witcher thought about it and realized that she had probably only been dead for a few days. The impact of death might have already broken her spirit, so it wasn't hard to understand.

Lan En mounted his horse, and the velvet ball skillfully jumped up as well.

The Witcher still has the mission of the Round Table Hall to fulfill; if he's entertained for a day, he has to do his job for a day.

Unexpectedly, just as the Witcher was about to pat the Qilin's neck to set off, a soft sound came from his back.

Turning her head, she saw that Melina had already jumped onto the back of the Qilin horse. Her movements were light and graceful, and she sat firmly in the saddle with the elegant posture of a noble girl, her hands holding onto the edges of the armor on Lan En's back.

The Qilin had already started running. The strong, heavy sound of its hooves seemed muffled as it trod across the golden grassland.

“I thought you would follow me in a spirit form.”

Lan En asked without turning his head.

“Don’t worry about me,” Melina’s voice was soft and flat, almost devoid of emotion. “If I encounter danger, I will become a spirit.”

She only answered the technical questions, but what Lan wanted to ask was why she wanted to do it this way.

It's unclear whether she didn't realize it, or if she did but pretended not to, using only technical responses as a cover-up.

Like a white lightning bolt, the Qilin galloped across the golden Yatan Plateau!

Lan En has two main missions for leaving Rodel this time.

First, there's the matter of picking people up, since the Qilin, this wise beast, is now known for its speed in a small circle.

Before the night of the Black Knife Plot, the Faded Ones were assigned to various locations in the Borderlands by Two Fingers, keeping them extremely busy.

In just a few days, they still haven't been able to assemble in Rodel, but some are getting closer. Gideon Ofnier is worried that delays might cause problems, as the situation is visibly becoming tense.

He then asked Lan En to make a few trips to help those faded beings who had already reached the Asian Plateau return to the royal city as soon as possible.

Secondly, the person he was going to pick up this time seemed to be coming from the same direction as the Volcano Official Residence.

Sir Hundred's spies already know that Volcano Manor has sent troops towards Rodel, but they are unclear about the exact size of Larcade's army, its attitude and purpose, and the intensity of its advance.

His spies within the Volcano Mansion's army could only relay this much information. They needed more to determine what this demigod, who had left his lair, was up to at this critical juncture.

Along the way, the Qilin passed through the ruins and wreckage of the fallen land that had become one with the grassland, as well as the stone pillars and peaks that protruded from the ground.

Heading east, they gradually approached the edge of the Bountiful Forest, where Lann and Torisha had gone on the night of the Black Knife Incident.

On the other side of the forest bridge that spans the entire Great Depression of the Abundant Forest, Lan En could already sense the footsteps of the army.

(End of this chapter)