Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1966 (1938). External Deities
"Don't you know your castle is full of fallen perfumers?" Lann was inspecting a Sunshade City soldier, but he was also making sarcastic remarks to Mare Mare lying next to him. "That sounds like a joke."

Lan En dared not remove Mare Mare's mask. Therefore, in order to better observe their physical characteristics, Lan En could only start with the soldiers of Sunshade City.

Without much effort, the Witcher had already devised a plan to remove the paralysis and weakness symptoms from their bodies.

Lann's expertise in biology and medicine originated from deep within his memories, from the consistent talent of the sons of emperors throughout history, and from the research of the human empire.

However, after traveling through the magical Sengoku period of Japan, Lan En, who was possessed by guardian spirits, naturally gained new talents because of these guardian spirits.

He began to have an almost natural understanding of herbal medicine. His comprehension of the Yin-Yang and Five Elements worldview, which is close to the realm of ancient Chinese culture, also greatly increased.

With only a few prescriptions for traditional Chinese medicine brought by Abe no Seimei and some Chinese medical books that had been transmitted to Japan, he was able to replace the ingredients in the prescriptions with local herbs in a magical medieval setting.

And it has been very effective.

Previously, whether he was completing his basic education or later when he arrived in the magical Middle Ages, Lan En had never been exposed to traditional Chinese medicine.

But that's the talent that guardian spirits bring.

Powerful guardian spirits possess not only the talents that bestow upon their possessors, but also the power to transcend time and space and influence destiny.

Compared to these powers, the various talents bestowed upon the possessor seem like a bonus.

Therefore, after observing the soldiers of Sunshade City and taking samples of the paralyzing dust and Sunshade City poisoned wine, Lan En devised a solution within half an hour that could be accomplished entirely using native plants and herbs from the border region.

"I have absolutely no idea what a 'fallen perfumer' is!"

Mare Mare spoke with difficulty, his voice tinged with a bitter smile.

Ultimately, it was the distorted sense of time held by the people of the Golden Tree during the Golden Age of Law that caused the situation.

The Perfumers' Association in the Royal City denounces fallen perfumers as heretics, but this saying, which has existed for hundreds of years, has yet to reach Sunshade City.

It may have spread, but on a small scale, so it was completely blocked by local perfumers.

In short, Maré Maré had absolutely no idea.

"Everything has been found."

Just as the Lord of Sunshade was regretting and condemning the perfumers' betrayal, Melina's calm voice rang out from the side.

She came out from the staircase on the side of the terrace.

"Alright, I'll go down and get it." Just as Lan En stood up, he saw Melina wave her hand.

"I've already brought it up."

The sound of horses' hooves came from the stairwell behind her.

A gray horse with horns followed Melina, clattering along on the blue bricks.

The horse's backpack was unremarkable, but then Melina pulled out herbs and materials that were significantly larger than the backpack's volume.

Lan En took the plant materials he specified and tilted his head to look at the horse with horns.

"Huchi~"

The horse flared its nostrils, exhaled a puff of hot air, and nudged its nose toward Lan En.

Its mane and bangs were quite long, covering its eyes.

“Its name is Torret,” Melina said, patting the horned horse’s neck. “It seems to like you very much.”

Lan En did not refute, but asked in surprise, "Not only are you a soul, but even this horse is a soul? That's really strange."

"Toret is just... a friend who was entrusted to me."

Lan En, carrying a large pile of medicinal herbs, walked to the side. Torret, meanwhile, turned into a speck of light and disappeared beside Melina.

Nearby, the common people who had come to watch the execution ceremony had already set up pots and started fires.

A group of people busily cleared the area to make it easier for the witchers to prepare potions to treat the sick and save lives.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, Lan En went to the table next to the large cauldron and began processing the medicinal herbs he had found in the Sunshade City warehouse.

Mushroom slices need to be shredded, cave moss needs to be steamed or boiled... and so on, with various processing methods.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, no one dared to disturb the demon hunter, and the area around the herb table became a quiet space amidst the busyness.

Lan En deftly and calmly processed the medicinal herbs at the table, while still speaking clearly and logically to Melina, who had followed him.

"Compared to your time in Rodel, you seem more content to stay the way you are now." The Witcher's tone was casual, without any hint of inquiry. "Is there a reason for this?"

Although Melina is a hardworking person, she simply doesn't understand these kinds of specialized matters.

Therefore, she simply stood next to the Witcher.

Upon hearing Lan En's question, the girl with light reddish-brown hair subconsciously turned her head and looked up at the enormous golden tree that stretched to the horizon.

After a moment of silence, he answered somewhat hesitantly, "I don't like... Rodel. That place is still... too heavy for me. At the moment."

Melina's answer was disjointed and offered no further information. However, just as he had presented himself to Melina, Lann didn't press for details. Instead, he naturally changed the subject.

“Understood,” the Witcher said in a steady voice. “Now, the next question, my advisor.”

Lan En didn't know which noble family Melina came from in the Golden Dynasty, but her manners were indeed impeccable: "Please speak. This is exactly what we agreed upon."

The simple response carried a thoughtful, understated yet self-assured air.

But Lan En's next question made her open right eye furrow slightly.

"I discovered the same power in Mare Mare's rapier as the crossbow bolt used by [Two-Finger Agent] Krepp in the Hall of the Round Table. It's a scarlet power, giving off an unusual restlessness and decay. What's going on?"

Lan En held two Atas flowers in his hands, shaking them to collect the pollen from the golden plant that resembled foxtail grass.

“That is… [Crimson Corruption].” As Melina spoke, she unusually turned her head and glanced at the Lord of Sunshade City lying in the distance.

"【Crimson Corruption】is also one of the external deities. You are familiar with the power of red; it is basically about the power of life, but it describes different aspects of life."

“Oher’s [Aura] is the manipulation of life force; the power of the [Mother of Truth] craves wounds and bloodshed, which are also life. And [Crimson Corruption]…”

Melina paused.

"That was the power of the end and the beginning of life when normal death still existed in this world."

"Fungi will flourish on corpses, which will then decompose into nutrients that enter other life forms. The power of [Crimson Putrefaction] is conceptually similar to this."

Lan En paused as he was shaking off the pollen.

His thoughts were aligned with Mentos's, and in that instant, he accurately grasped the key point.

"Melina."

"what happened?"

"The so-called 'external deities'... what exactly does 'external' mean, referring to something outside of?"

The girl with light reddish-brown hair raised her head, her golden pupil in her right eye still calm, yet seemingly filled with surprised admiration: "It seems you've already discovered it."

Lan En ignored Melina's praise and simply stated his own views.

"The term 'external deities' immediately evokes the idea that these deities are intruders or descendants from outside the world."

"But you just said that the Scarlet Corruption is a power that manifests 'when there is still a normal death,' at the end of life and the beginning of life. That at least shows that the history of the Scarlet Corruption is longer than the Golden Law."

"Compared to this, the integration of [Crimson Corruption] into this world is probably far more profound than that of the Golden Law, right? So, can it still be considered an outsider?"

Melina looked at Lan calmly: "So, you already know, don't you?"

“Yes,” the Witcher nodded, “the so-called ‘external deities’ refers to ‘deities excluded from the current laws’ rather than ‘foreign deities’.”

There can only be one god in an era, because there is only one Elden Ring, and only one law can be applied to it.

Besides this God and this law, those laws that were eliminated, replaced, or failed to take over are what are called "external deities".

They are 'outside' not because they come from outside the world, but because they are 'excluded from the current belief system'.

But while gods and laws can change, the two fingers supersede them in the belief system.

Thus, all the faded ones working for the two fingers of the round table can use all the power they deem useful.

Krepp's crossbow bolts are imbued with the power of [Crimson Corruption].

Alperish can cast ice magic; in the borderlands, Lann has only seen ice magic used by Lani so far. The nature of the law Lani bears is unknown, but it should be related to cold.

【White Wolf War Demon】Bagram holds the 【Hunting God Greatsword】 in his hand. The black flames burning on the greatsword are the power of the defeated Night-Colored Eyes Queen.

...The Faded Ones in the Round Table Hall, with the power they wield, would all be considered heretics in the Golden Dynasty!

It is using the power of an external deity!

However, they are allowed to use it with two fingers, and this permission is within the reasonable scope of two fingers' permissions.

Thinking of this, Lan En suddenly confirmed with Melina: "[Crimson Corruption] is a law... [Valkyrie] Malenia is a god-human burdened by the law, and has been suffering from the corruption disease since birth."

"So, the laws of the Valkyries are actually the Crimson Corruption, right?"

Melina did not answer, but her attitude itself was an answer.

"I understand." Lan En nodded, then quickly finished making the potion and carried it towards Mare Mare, who was lying in the distance.

The golden cup containing the medicine was placed next to his head. Lan En squatted down, looked down at him seriously, and spoke.

"You are actually a follower of [Crimson Corruption], aren't you?"

The Lord of Sunshade City, hidden behind the mask, stared blankly at the sight of a ghost, his eyes widening in disbelief.

"You... cough cough!"

(End of this chapter)