Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1961, Question 1933: Stance
Lann didn't know who the owner of [Ironthorn] Elonmer was, or what the [Mother of Truth] he possessed was.

Perhaps he could find the answer by consulting his 'borderland encyclopedia' when he had some free time. But of course, he couldn't do that in this situation.

However, Lan En would not be unable to organize the logic and structure of a passage just because there are a few factors he is unaware of.

Elon Meir has made his point clear enough.

His actions in Sunshade City were ultimately aimed at sowing suspicion and discord within the demigod alliance.

With the help of the perfumer who has already betrayed the Mare family, Elonmeier will take control of the castle, just as he did when the Mare family was still around.

They will receive and extradite the Holy Tree Legion from the sea.

On the surface, this will bring new enemies and troubles to the royal city of Rodel, and the power of the demigod alliance will expand suddenly.

In reality, while a larger population does increase power, it also makes it easier to sow discord and incite conflict.

Goffea and Laqad now tacitly agree that one is placed at the highest position while the other provides support from behind. The two work closely together.

However, the introduction of a new force, which will clash with Lakad's power at 'sometime in the future'... there are many things that can be done in this situation.

Of course, the suspicions brought about by one or two conflicts, and even the fact that Sunshade City was later 'destroyed by the Holy Tree Legion', may not have played a decisive role in the internal friction of the demigod alliance.

However, since the master mentioned by [Ironthorn] Elommel has already formulated this plan and begun to implement it steadily, then the split of the demigod alliance is not far off.

Because trust is like a piece of glass. When you start intentionally testing its strength, its breaking is already inevitable.

From this perspective, Elonmeier was indeed right.

His stance is consistent with that of the Royal City of Rodel, the Blessed King, the Round Table Hall, and the Two Fingers.

The towering Ironthorn, gripping the Mare family's execution sword and with a large square shield hanging on his back, stood on the execution platform with his arms outstretched towards Lan En.

“This is the situation now, Faded Ones,” Elonmer said frankly beneath his alien helmet. “We’re on the same side.”

His tone was very frank, as if he were advising Lan En to quickly recognize the enemy-friend relationship.

"You came to Sunshade City precisely because this will be the landing point for the Holy Tree Legion, right?"

The executioner's sword of the Marais family gleamed fiercely in Elonmel's hands.

"Now, your mission is complete, Faded One. A very successful one."

“Our current situation is probably due to insufficient coordination from above?” Elonmer chuckled softly inside his helmet. “You serve Two Fingers, and my master. They obviously didn’t communicate much beforehand.”

"But you don't need to worry. The Mother of Truth is watching over my master, and he will quell these rebellious demigods."

With a 'snap', the boot wrapped in iron thorns stepped on Mare Mare's head.

The patriarch of the Mare family had thick, bushy white hair, which prevented him from being directly pricked and bleeding by the iron thorns on the boot armor.

However, the tangled wires had already become tangled with his hair. As Elonmeier withdrew his foot, Marre Marre's head was pulled by his hair, and finally, with a series of snapping sounds, it continued to hang limply.

But beneath the iron mask that mimicked the face of the first patriarch of the Mare family, a pair of eyes burning with rage stared unblinkingly at the witcher below the execution platform.

At this moment, regardless of anything else, Sunshade City has been captured by someone working from both inside and outside.

As for him, the city lord, he and his soldiers became pitiful prisoners.

The ancestral castle, the family's reputation, the family heirloom sword... In those ten minutes of sudden change, heavy humiliation and fear weighed on Marey Marey's heart!

Not long ago, he even dined with the perfumers in his castle and this outsider, the Faded One, sharing his roof and food with them!

And is this what we get in return... the despair we feel now?!

Marre Marre knew very well how brutal Elonmeier's methods were; it was not something a normal person could do!
Considering the timing of the crime, Marey Marey even suspected that the impact of the blessing on people's bodies when the Elden Ring was smashed by the Queen might have completely ruined Elonmer's mind, enabling him to do those things.

The Golden Age was an era so beautiful it seemed unreal, and as a result, many people who had just been forced out of that era couldn't even imagine how cruel the normal world would be.

However, the changes in the world are not based on the feelings of the people of the Golden Tree; the changes in the world are only based on the Elden Ring.

As long as the Ring of Law remains unrepaired and no laws can be restored to function on the Ring of Law, the world will only descend into greater chaos, with no possibility of improvement whatsoever.

The people of the Golden Tree had no choice but to leave the Golden Law era and could only face and adapt to this increasingly collapsing world.

The pain of facing such a huge gap is self-evident.

And the most serious point is that they don't even have a means of escape. They can't even end their own lives.

The shattering of the French Ring has plunged the world into chaos, preventing people from living a proper life.

However, the remaining Golden Law prevents people from dying.

The Mare family, Sunshade City, the victims under Elonmer's rule... these people of the Golden Tree are witnessing just how cruel a world where the rules have collapsed can be.

Earlier today, Maré Maré was explaining his ideas about law to Lann, and his thoughts on legal reform after the legal system was broken.

At that moment, the two of them were standing on the top floor of the castle, looking down at the prison wagon that was escorting Elonmer into the city.

But now... Mare Mare has bitten his lips through the mask!
He felt completely weak. The poisonous wine he had drunk during his meal was now combining with the perfume powder carefully blended by local perfumers in his body, producing a different effect.

He. His Mare family, his Sunshade City. Now they've all become a piece of meat on someone else's dinner table, just waiting to see how it will be divided.

If Elon Mel is telling the truth, then Marey Marey himself feels that Lann's cooperation with the other party is inevitable.

After all, we're on the same side.

They were dealing with a coalition of demigods.

As long as it works, there's really nothing to worry about.

This is how it should be...

"Da, da~"

After listening to Elonmeier's frank account, the Witcher did not immediately respond, but reached an agreement with this renowned knight from the same faction.

Smaug's left hand, resting on the hilt of his sword at his left waist, tapped the hilt lightly with his sharp, menacing index finger.

He tilted his head and sized up his colleague on the execution platform, who had "already done all the work."

Because of the way he tilted his head, his hair, which was like molten silver, fell down, slightly obscuring part of his expression, making it difficult to see clearly.

However, this lack of response was enough to make the atmosphere tense.

"Speaking of 'we're on the same side,'" Lan En said, as if changing the subject amidst the solemnity, "you seem to have misunderstood my position, [Ironthorn]."

Revealing his identity and subsequent plans did not elicit the expected cooperation and goodwill, causing Elonmeier's voice to harden: "What are you trying to say?"

And the open gesture he had just made with his arms outstretched towards Lan En has now been lowered back down.

The dark, gloomy execution sword of the Mare family rested against his leg.

“I want to say this: you may always pre-select my position because of the lack of light in my eyes, and consider this a matter of course, since every color and emblem represents a certain attribute and stance at the boundary. The absence of blessing in my eyes inherently represents a deeply ingrained stance and identity. But is it possible…”

Lann looked at Elon Mel.

"This stance isn't actually that important to me personally."

With a clear and long 'sizzle' sound, the Lake Maiden's sword was slowly drawn from its sheath.

The gleaming blade and Lan En's movements imbued even these actions, which represented hostility and murderous intent, with a breathtaking beauty. None of his other sharp emotions were revealed throughout the entire process!
“If you or your master knew me, he would understand that I haven’t actually been in contact with the Round Table Hall for very long.”

"Perhaps it was the orderliness and constancy revealed by the Golden Law on the Altar of Asia that gave me a familiar illusion. I mistakenly thought that this era of the Golden Law was very stable and peaceful. So, without encountering much trouble, I naturally accepted the hospitality and help of the Round Table Hall. From that moment on, I took on the stance of the Round Table Hall."

At this point, Lan En shook his head.

"So, to repay the favor, I worked for the Round Table Hall to investigate some sensitive but probably not too serious matters."

"But who knew that we would eventually be able to trace the demigods' rebellious acts all the way up?"

"I investigated some things for the Round Table Hall, and thus automatically became an enemy in the eyes of another group of people. With both the enemy and our side now in the picture, the so-called stance has become clearer and more unshakable."

"Things have come to this point, and regardless of my own thoughts, I have no choice but to continue according to my position due to the enemy's hostility."

"My stance drove my actions, and my actions, in turn, reinforced the traces of my stance. That's just how things are; there's really nothing more to say about it."

"But why would you think... I would side with a sadist and hardened criminal like you just to get things done in Sunshade City?"

(End of this chapter)