Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1955 1927. Maintaining the Law
After introducing himself, the head of the Mare family, Mare Mare, whose name was rather unusual, removed his hat out of courtesy.

But this didn't improve things much.

Beneath his hat was thick white hair, braided into many plaits that hung down from his head, completely covering his neck.

There was still no trace of skin left.

"Judging from your breathing, Lord Mare," Lan En patted the Qilin's neck, gesturing for it to follow the Sunshade City soldiers' instructions, while he exchanged pleasantries with the city lord, saying, "You seem to be feeling a little unwell?"

Beneath the mask, Mare Mare glanced at the Witcher.

"The men of the Mare family have been plagued by illness since ancient times. It's innate, cough cough, we're used to it. Please forgive us."

“I’m sorry,” Lan En said bluntly, “I didn’t know much about the Mare family before. You should also know the current situation in the capital. It’s good enough that we found someone who can come out; the etiquette and ceremonial arrangements… are bound to be inadequate.”

Lan En so easily steered the conversation to the current predicament facing the royal city, without any attempt to avoid the topic.

This was clearly unexpected for Maré Maré.

He doesn't dare to talk much about the royal city now, because the royal city is like a testing ground. As long as the royal city is mentioned, the speaker's own stance will inevitably be revealed.

Is he the blessed king recognized and crowned by the two fingers? Or is it Gavya, the demigod with the highest legal order of succession within the already established framework? Or is he supporting other demigods for other reasons?
So Maré stammered, coughing and wheezing emanating from beneath his iron mask. Being sick was certainly a convenient excuse to avoid the topic.

After stammering for a while, the head of the Mare family changed the subject to the velvet ball that was following Lan En.

"Meow?"

In accordance with the traditional customs of the borderlands, Mare Mare expressed his respect for the wise beast and his regard for Lann.

But to Lan En, these were just meaningless compliments.

Led by the head of the Mare family, Lan En and Rongbuqiu followed closely behind.

Sunshade City, built on a vast lake of venom, is constructed entirely of blue bricks and stones, yet it still exudes a damp and chilly atmosphere.

Furthermore, the walls of Sunshade City are integrated with the stone pillars that rise from the ground in this terrain, creating a varied and layered effect.

There are also many exquisite stone sculptures in the city, each the size of a person.

In border regions where the sculptural style tends to be grandiose, I've only seen this delicate and small stone sculpture a handful of times.

Looking at the faces of many of the stone sculptures, they bear a striking resemblance to the mask on Mare Mare's face. Perhaps these stone sculptures are the ancestors of the Mare family.

Although the Golden Dynasty has stood for a long time, and the Mare family has been an executioner family that has followed the Golden Law from the very beginning, the number of generations is too frequent, considering the lifespan of the people of the Golden Tree.

The Witcher glanced at Marley Marley ahead of him, noting his coughing fit as he walked.

Is it because of a hereditary disease that the entire Mare family bloodline has a much shorter lifespan than the normal people of the Golden Tree?

Lan En thought to himself.

His boots and the hind paws of his velvet ball stomped loudly on the damp floor tiles.

After turning a corner, continue uphill. The higher you go, the less affected you become by the venom pool.

When I turned the corner just now, the brick wall there was turning green. Not the kind of green that grows moss, but a deep green like the venom pool outside.

It made the whole castle look very gloomy.

The soldiers on the city walls—Sunshade City seemed to have few knights—were generally deathly pale. This was likely due to their long-term exposure to pools of venom.

The perfumers moved about freely and naturally, seemingly having fully adapted to life in Sunshade City.

'Whether it's due to the Mare family's hereditary disease or the soldiers' health, it seems quite normal that so many perfumers, rarely seen outside the city, have been brought to Sunshade City.'

'However, these perfumers…'

As he walked behind Mare Mare, Lann subtly twitched his nostrils.

Odor particles in the air rush into his nasal cavity and oral cavity, and come into contact with his [taste detection organs].

This sensitive enhanced organ immediately began to summarize the noteworthy information from the sample and send it to Lan En's sensory center.

The scent of face powder.

And it has a rather strong powdery scent.

Beneath the stench of the venom pool where Sunshade City was located, Lan En astutely peeled away the surface layer of venomous scent to find a deeper target.

The scent of perfume powder accompanies perfumers, which seems quite normal to the people of the border region. After all, perfumers mainly use perfume powder for healing.

Their profession means they are destined to be inseparable from all kinds of spices for the rest of their lives.

However, the scent of this perfume powder is still too strong, a level above that of the perfumers in the royal city.

But Lann wasn't sure if it was because of the Miranda flowers, which were as big as trucks, in the venom pool outside the city.

After all, a flower that large can release a huge amount of pollen and fragrance just by shaking it.

"Has something happened in Sunshade City today?"

Lan En only briefly considered the scent of the perfume powder in the castle and the perfumer's feelings; what he was talking about was something else entirely.

"The soldiers in the castle all look very ready for battle."

The Witcher made a clear gesture by looking up at the heavily armored soldiers on the city wall.

Maré Maré also looked up with him before explaining.

"Today, a serious criminal will be punished by the laws of the Golden Dynasty in Sunshade City. That is why the soldiers are on high alert. Please forgive us, Lord Lan En."

"Hmm?" At this point, Lan En became curious. "At this critical juncture, are Sunshade City and the Mare family still maintaining law enforcement operations?"

Mare Mare, who was walking ahead, stopped and turned around halfway up the hill, his eyes behind his mask looking intently at the Witcher.

The white braids on his head swayed as he turned around, then fell heavily back down because they were so thick.

"Lord Lan En, you are an envoy sent by the royal city of Rodel. Of course, you know more about what is happening in the royal city than we small lords in the remote areas of the Yatan Plateau. Just hearing about those things makes me feel terrified, as if a great calamity is about to befall us."

“But no matter what,” the head of the Mare family shook his head helplessly, “cough cough. No matter what, even if the Elden Ring was smashed by the Queen, or the Golden Age of Law has come to an end.”

"These great things and topics are not something that someone like me can change, Your Excellency."

"But I know that for people like me who are neither powerful nor great, the problems that plague us, cough cough, besides those problems that overshadow the whole world, are other problems that are not so grand, but are still problems."

“Of course,” Mare Mare straightened his collar nervously under Lann’s gaze. “I mean, of course. The biggest and most pressing problem now is the collapse of the Golden Law, which has deprived us all of eternal life and the opportunity for stable reincarnation.”

"These great questions can only be resolved when the powerful demigods fight for the position of King of Elden."

"But at this very moment, the people of the Golden Tree in the border region, or to put it bluntly: near the Yatan Plateau, which is within my reach. The law! Only the law can provide the most basic and essential protection for everyone."

"The collapse of the Golden Law could leave any of us in a state of agonizing pain, where we are mortally wounded but not quite dead. But the collapse of the fundamental laws of the dynasty would greatly increase the likelihood of anyone being harmed."

“I cannot uphold the great Golden Law, but I think that, as a family of executioners, I can at least try to make the law last a little longer during this chaotic time.”

Maré Maré only said to 'make the law last longer' because he knew that as fundamental rules that could affect the entire world, if the laws on the Elden Ring were not repaired or updated for a long time.

Then the whole world will fall into collapse and decay.

Not to mention now, the ring itself is broken.

At that point, legal issues might become the least important minor problems.

The law simply could not exist under such circumstances.

But at least until that horrific situation occurs, he hopes he can uphold the law and do his job as an executioner.

After saying all that in one breath, Maré Maré felt a little flustered, but also a little relieved.

On one hand, even though Sunshade City was located in a remote area, the anxiety and fear were still palpable after the Law Rings were shattered. After all, the Law Rings' influence was the very rule of the world.

Despite his ailing health, he can still maintain the stability of Sunshade City. Firstly, this is due to the long-standing tradition of the Mare family's rule. Secondly, even now, he has at least stepped forward, pointing everyone in the right direction and providing something to do.

Having something to do, having goals, and being busy prevents one's spirit from collapsing too quickly.

He's saying these things now to affirm himself and to stabilize his mind. That's why he feels comfortable.

On the other hand, Lan En was, after all, an envoy from the royal city, and Mare Mare didn't know whether his words were considered arrogant in the eyes of the envoy.
That's the royal city of Rodel, after all!

But Lann seemed oblivious to Mare Mare's nervousness, walking straight past him and continuing up the slope.

I just reached out and patted him on the shoulder as I passed by.

“Your idea is practical and good. But in this increasingly chaotic era, maintaining the law… might be a bit dangerous. In my opinion, you should upgrade the defense forces first.”

(End of this chapter)