Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1960 (1932) Master's Instructions
As Elonmer swiftly scraped three times with his whetstone knife across the broad blade of the Marais execution sword, a large handful of powder imbued with soul power was scraped out of thin air and scattered by the wind.

The deep red power in his hand eventually, as if it were only natural, permeated the entire execution sword.

Strangely enough, this legendary weapon from the border region seems to be even more powerful than before.

It seems that Elonmeier's power is actually a better match for this legendary weapon from the borderlands!

But regardless of whether the weapon became stronger or not, it didn't stop Mare Mare from frantically pulling at his hand that was being stepped on!

Even if the iron spikes on Elon Mel's boots tore his hands to shreds, leaving them bloody and mangled, it didn't matter.

The family heirloom sword was in his hands when it was snatched away by a prisoner who was about to be executed!

This is an immense disgrace to the Mare family!

Not to mention that the prisoner, in collusion with an inside agent in the castle, has rendered his group powerless to resist, leaving them only able to watch helplessly as the other side destroys the original battle ash on their family heirloom sword and covers it with their own power!

That battle ash was the soul power left on the sword by the first patriarch of the Mare family.

This is practically equivalent to scattering the souls of the Ma family's ancestors!
Although Marre Marre is physically weak due to a family hereditary disease and the fact that he is now being betrayed by an inside agent, he is unable to even kill a chicken.

But now, even with his eyes blazing with fury and his hands scraped raw, he was still desperately clinging to Elonmer's boots!
A muffled chuckle came from beneath Elonmel's helmet.

The convict didn't even glance at the Ma Lei family patriarch, who still wanted to take the family heirloom sword; he simply stomped his boot over the ground.

Amid Maré Maré's screams, the sound of his hand bones shattering filled the air.

"You just talk the talk and then consider it over?"

The perfumers, standing high above on the wooden walkway, didn't even glance at the others who had spent countless hours living and working in this castle; they were only focused on the questions that concerned them, relentlessly questioning Elon Meier.

Elonmer showed no sign of awkwardness.

Amidst the rusty iron thorns rubbing against each other on his body, he raised his hand, and with a muffled 'bang,' a flame suddenly appeared in his palm.

The flames looked strange because they were a pure blood red color, and even when they flickered, there was no change in color or brightness.

“This is the [Cursed Blood] bestowed by the master; this is enough,” Elonmeier showed to the perfumers, whose breathing unconsciously became heavy beneath the thick veils.

"The sacred [Cursed Blood] allows you to connect with the Mother of Truth, but how do you obtain the Cursed Blood..." A meaningful laugh came from beneath Elommer's helmet. "Just make people bleed."

"As the master said: What the Mother of Truth longs for is wounds."

"Wounds..." the perfumers pondered.

They were just about to ask for more details.

After all, what they are doing right now is the important matter of converting to a different faith and religion!

People without religious beliefs cannot understand the seriousness and severity of this matter.

From the Golden Law and Queen Marika's conversion to the "Mother of Truth"... Elon Meir described the process as so simple.

Is it enough to just cause a wound?

Are there any ritualistic requirements? Or are there any special religious implements required?

These are the details that perfumers all want to know.

But Elonmeier didn't give them a chance; instead, he pressed them for answers.

"Alright, I've brought what you wanted. But!" Elon Mel rudely interrupted the perfumers, then pointed the Mare family execution sword, newly imprinted with his own power, at the group of outsiders who had come to watch the execution. "What's going on here?"

The people watching the execution were now completely silent and trembling.

Only the victims' families dared to glare at Elon Mel.

However, the timid and hesitant figures of this group of people only served to highlight the fearless individuals in the crowd.

Lan En walked steadily out from behind the crowd.

His left hand rested on the hilt of his sword, as he calmly observed the perfumer on the walkway, Elonmeier on the execution platform, and Maré Maré. It was impossible to know what he was thinking.

"How could this be?" Among the perfumers, the exclamation of the veteran who had accompanied them at the banquet rang out. "He clearly drank our wine! How come the subsequent numbing powder didn't work?"

In fact, given Lan En's tolerance to toxicity, you could let him take a bath in the poisonous swamp beneath Sunshade City without any problem.

Even just listening in, Lan En understood that the perfumers' tricks probably required the combination of Sunshade City's specialty poisoned wine and dust to be effective.

But the special poisoned wine had no effect on Lan En at all, so the subsequent synergistic effects from the paralyzing dust were out of the question. The Witcher didn't even bother to glance at the path, let alone respond to the perfumers.

He simply looked at Elonmel, and Ironthorn simply stood on the execution platform and looked at him.

Lan En originally thought this person was about to make a move, but things took an unexpected turn.

“Those who fade are indeed not simple.” Elon Mel said, but did not show any hostility towards Lan En. “Since I haven’t been able to take you down, let’s just talk things out.”

"Are you speaking openly? To me?" This was the first time Lann had spoken to Elon Mel. "We don't know each other, and I don't think I have anything to say to a sadist."

“That’s just your opinion, that we have nothing to say to each other.” Elon Mel chuckled softly. “But in reality, we should be colleagues, the Faded Ones.”

"We are all serving the Golden Dynasty, upholding the great Golden Law."

The soldiers on the ground, the city lord of Sunshade City, and even the people who had just stood with Lan En all stared at the Witcher in disbelief.

But Lann himself showed no reaction: "If you could tone down that sarcastic tone you used when you talked about the Golden Law, I might believe you. You were just trying to get people to convert to the Golden Law, weren't you?"

Elonmer lifted his foot and stepped away from Marey Marey's already bloodied and mangled hand, but remained standing on the execution platform.

However, this platform, which was originally intended to execute him, now seems to have become a stage for him to deliver his victory speech.

The wooden planks thumped loudly as he stepped on them.

"Now that the Golden Law is on the verge of collapse, isn't it normal to pay a small price and ask others for help?"

Elon Meir was referring to the belief in the "Mother of Truth" that he had just introduced to the perfumers.

"Actually, someone like you who has faded into obscurity shouldn't know who my master is or why he instructed me to get involved in the current situation. But take my advice: we are indeed on the same side."

"I heard you came to Sunshade City and had the perfumers just put you under the influence, without any intention of doing anything. But unfortunately, you managed to withstand the anesthetic yourself."

Elon Mel spoke as if he had gone to great lengths to consider Lan's interests and minimize the impact, only for Lan to be ungrateful and mess things up instead.

But the Witcher was no longer the naive high school graduate he once was. He wasn't buying it at all.

Lan En didn't bother to get entangled in the other person's topic at all. Instead, he changed the subject: "You said your master gave you instructions, but you don't want to tell me who he is? For the sake of mutual trust, why don't you tell me what he instructed you to do?"

Elonmer's helmet, wrapped with iron spikes, spun around, seemingly scanning everyone present.

In fact, after his words, most of the people present had changed their gazes toward Lan En from surprise to fear and... anger.

In the eyes of the people of Sunshade, perhaps the fact that this Faded One has come to Sunshade today, on Elonmer's execution day, is also part of their conspiracy.

That hostile gaze seemed to make [Ironthorn] lower his resistance a little. He just thought about it for a moment and then simply spoke his mind.

“My actions were indeed to defend the royal city.”

Elonmeier first reiterated this point.

"You came to this remote castle for this very reason?" [Ironthorn] held the Mare family's execution sword, pointing it towards the sea behind him. "We all know that if the Twin Trees want to get involved in the situation on the Altan Plateau, this will be the ideal landing point."

"So you want to take Sunshade City to stop the legions of the Twin Sacred Trees?" Lan En remained unmoved. "Sunshade City alone?"

The twins of the Sacred Tree left Rodel in their early years and established the Sacred Tree [Ebrefil] in a distant land. They rarely appear in the borderlands, but both siblings are divine beings burdened with the laws of nature, and no one dares to underestimate the power jointly created by these two divine beings.

“I am not arrogant, Faded One. Neither is my master,” Elonmer said in a low voice. “Therefore, I have no intention of stopping the Sacred Tree Legion. On the contrary, they will pass through here into the border without hindrance.”

“They would think this is an invitation from Sunshade City. With the help of these perfumers, and given that the head of the Mare family is known for being sickly and dying young, and few people have ever seen him, it would be easy for me to do this.”

As he spoke, Elonmer kicked the Sunshade Lord's already crushed hand.

"Because of the subordinate relationship between the executioner's family and the Grand Justice, the Holy Tree Legion naturally carries a close affinity with Lakad whenever it comes to the Yatan Plateau."

"They will become allies."

At this point, Mare Mare looked puzzled. After all, this man claimed to be 'fighting for the royal city,' but what he was doing was finding allies for Rakad, who was besieging the royal city?
On the contrary, Lan En's eyes had already narrowed slightly.

"Then, when their alliance is formed," Ironthorn continued, with the Witcher's knowing look, "'Sunshade City' will attack the Sacred Tree Legion's remaining forces."

"The information that is sent out will be of two kinds. The Holy Tree Legion will receive news that they have been attacked. Lakad will know that it was the Holy Tree Legion that attacked Sunshade City, which belongs to him, first."

“Trouble needs a lot of people to get bigger.” Elonmer told Lann about his master’s instructions. “Otherwise, with just Larkad and Goffia, it’s not easy to arouse suspicion.”

(End of this chapter)