Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1933, 1905: The Veteran
"What is this?" Gideon Ofnir asked softly from the darkness inside his helmet after hearing the news from Baglem and Lann. "Raccard's declaration of war?"

“It’s not that absolute,” Baglem said, waving his hand as he sat in the chairs surrounding the round table with the sword. “After all, it sounds quite polite, doesn’t it?”

His words sounded like advice, but they sounded more like he was stirring up trouble.

After all, he was the one who had faced Lakad directly in the military camp at the Volcano Mansion, and he had a deep understanding of the demigod's cold personality and his determination to succeed in this operation.

Since the current situation can't be changed no matter what, why not make a joke first?

"You call that being polite?" Krepp's face darkened. "He actually dared to spout nonsense at Twofinger! A mere demigod!"

Bagleym didn't want to get involved with the Two-Finger Messenger's temper; he was a devout follower of Two-Finger, and he didn't want to have any unpleasantness with Krapp over this.

So he raised his hands, indicating that this statement had nothing to do with him.

“Yes, just a mere demigod,” Gideon Ophniel said calmly. “But in this chaotic and awkward time for the dynasty, this mere demigod has raised an army and is heading towards the capital. Our dynasty has no control over its territory and cannot even stop him. We can only wait for him to reach the city walls and hope to fight a defensive battle.”

Sir Hundred Wisdoms didn't press the matter further, since gathering intelligence on Lakad's army and Lakad's current attitude were actually official tasks of the Golden Dynasty.

If it's just a matter of two fingers at the round table hall, then the faded ones can just have a meeting.

But now that the Blessed King has ascended the throne, this matter is now considered military intelligence and must be reported to the new king.

Sir Hundred Wisdoms headed toward the Golden Tree Cathedral, preparing to meet the Blessed King.

The cathedral, originally built for the faith of the Golden Tree, has now become a busy administrative building.

Gideon Ophniel was walking up the white staircase when he ran into a group of people coming down, who appeared to have just finished their audience.

The two groups should have passed each other, but in just a short while, Sir Hundred's intelligence had already connected the dots between the several groups of people he had seen walking down the stairs leading to the Golden Tree Cathedral over a period of time.

There was a significant time gap between this group and the others when they came out.

The staircase, which should have been bustling with people, was empty except for a few people coming down; there was no one in front or behind them.

—A private audience with someone alone?

A newly enthroned king met privately with a group of people.

Gideon Ophniel guessed without much effort that these people were probably the private army that the Blessed King was about to gather under his command.

When someone first takes office, they will definitely want to cultivate their own people.

Perhaps these people are even more trusted and valued by the Blessed King than those who have faded away.

Thinking of this, and just then, a figure in this group came into Sir Hundred's view.

The faded person, as if just noticing, greeted them.

“Ampah?” he called out to one of the people in the crowd, his voice deep and refined. “Ha, I didn’t expect to see you here.”

The man was tall and slender with a cool demeanor; he seemed quite old but was still agile.

He was wearing light armor and a full-face helmet, beneath which his long, gray hair peeked out.

Upon hearing Gideon's greeting, he seemed to snap out of his reverie and stopped on the stairs.

"Ah, it's Sir Hundred Wisdom."

The man called Ampach gave a slight bow. Like Gideon Ofnir, he possessed a scholarly air and composure. However, unlike Gideon Ofnir, Sir Hundred Wisdom often leaned on his cane and hunched over.

Although everyone believed that this guy would be even more terrifying in a real fight than when he was young, he did show signs of aging.

Ampach, on the other hand, belongs to the type of scholar who is still young and energetic.

He stood upright and remained calm and composed.

“Old soldier,” the man accompanying Ampah turned to ask him, his cautious and suspicious gaze sweeping back and forth between the two of them, “you know each other?”

As the private army of a newly enthroned king, this level of xenophobia and suspicion is quite necessary.

Ampah remained unperturbed, showing no sign of offense. "In your presence, I may call myself a 'veteran.' But in the presence of distinguished veterans, such a title earned through seniority is meaningless. Long time no see, Sir."

“It seems you have some things that are not convenient to discuss openly,” Gideon Ofnier said deliberately. “Should we keep our distance?”

“No, there’s nothing to hide,” Ampah said calmly. “We were chosen as the direct force of the Blessed King, and we also have the support of Two Fingers.”

Strictly speaking, they were recommended by the superiors of the faded ones.

Gideon Ofnier nodded to himself; his suspicions were confirmed—this was new intelligence.

“Looks like I have to congratulate you,” Bai Zhi said in a deep voice, “but someone like you is bound to make a name for yourself sooner or later. You can’t just stand there watching the Lord’s Elevator forever.”

The Lord's Great Elevator is a massive elevator connecting the royal city of Lord to the northern snow-capped mountains. It is the place where the Golden Dynasty exterminated the Flame Giants, and also the location of the Flame Cauldron and the Ash Flame.

Because of the taboo and wariness surrounding fire, the Golden Dynasty directly referred to that place as the 'Forbidden Zone'. As for the guardian of the great elevator, this position had always been rather obscure.

However, Ampah always maintained a calm and composed demeanor.

If it were someone else, they would probably get annoyed after a short time.

Ampah shook his head slightly, his long, gray hair peeking out from behind his helmet trembling.

"I was merely doing my duty. Please forgive me, Sir. Since I received this appointment, we may not have many opportunities to communicate. It's time to keep public and private matters separate."

Although Ampach spoke of clearly separating public and private matters, even to the point of cutting them off, his open and frank conversation with the other party at this time and in this setting actually made him seem reasonable, well-founded, and quite elegant, making it impossible for anyone to get angry.

At least, Gideon Ofnir, the one being cut off, didn't dislike such a direct and straightforward statement.

“I understand, Ampah. With this burden on your shoulders, you probably won’t have anything you can call a private matter anymore. Goodbye.”

After saying that, Sir Hundred-Minded continued striding confidently toward the Golden Tree Cathedral above.

Meanwhile, Ampah's group of people who were going down the mountain also started moving again.

They were all double-appointed as a group of people directly under the Blessed King. After a private audience, they all understood their current status.

Therefore, Ampah's open and unreserved communication with outsiders has attracted some strange looks from within the company.

However, it didn't have much of an impact, and Ampah himself didn't care much.

After all, although he had spoken with Sir Hundred Wisdom here and even revealed some details, he ultimately had no intention of revealing the most crucial information.

—He was not actually part of the Blessed King's private army...that king also had a younger brother!
There are actually two groups among them.

From today onwards, he will serve as a private army directly under the brother of the Prince of Cifu, rather than directly pledging allegiance to the Prince of Cifu himself.

After leaving the staircase, the two groups went their separate ways.

The King's private army looked serious and focused, ready to get to work immediately.

On the other hand, those who pledged allegiance to Monger under the direction of the two fingers still had to go through a procedure.

I've heard that the younger brother of this Blessed King possesses a power extremely rare in this border region, seemingly related to blood. To become his subordinate, one must learn this power.

This group of people does not reject power.

Bai Zhi went straight to the Golden Tree Cathedral. The Faded Ones had a high priority, so they could be the first to enter and do business after the Blessed King's private meeting with his private army.

The Golden Tree Cathedral has now removed all the benches that were originally used for worshippers to pray and listen to scriptures, as well as the pastor's pulpit.

This was all so that the Blessed King could handle state affairs behind the light curtain that connected to the palace.

The hall became empty, and thus the echoes reverberated.

When Baizhi's cane struck the floor, it resonated with a metallic clang.

The facade of the cathedral still features a large opening that offers a view of the winding tree roots and the landscape of Rodel.

Without further ado, Gideon Ophniel immediately relayed the message brought back by Bagleym and Lann to the blurry figure behind the light screen.

After hearing Lakad's determination and unwavering attitude, the Blessed King remained unchanged.

But when Baizhi mentioned that Lakad questioned his legitimacy and authority as the Blessed King, the figure behind the light curtain made some moves.

"Really? He really said that?" Montgomery asked from behind the screen. "Not talking about it behind someone's back, but saying it openly?"

Sir Hundred Wisdom bowed his head: "Bagram can testify."

"I understand."

Montgomery was now certain that the other party was truly determined to go all the way.

Is there any more vehement hostility than questioning a king's legitimacy to the throne?
If this was said in private and overheard by someone who has faded away, it might be a deliberate message sent to them as a threat to gain leverage and make a higher offer. The main purpose is to show that "you need to win me over quickly."

But to say it directly would be blatant hostility.

"How long will it take for the army from Mount Gemir to arrive?" Montgomery lamented inwardly. "Rodel's defenses must be put into a state of war immediately."

Even when Twofinger found his brothers in the royal city's sewers, Mongot already imagined how bad the situation on the surface must be.

But he still held onto a tiny sliver of hope that the Golden Dynasty and the Golden Law era could continue peacefully, and for this he was even willing to be a puppet king who would never show his face.

To hand over actual power to others.

But clearly, he is now facing only violence.

(End of this chapter)