Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1976 1948. Goodbye to the Smell of Blood
And the way Lan En looked at this group of people...

The knights under Gofia's command and the lost knights under Gofia's protection seem to be positioned so that they can support and look after each other with the knights of the Volcano Mansion next to them, but the distance between them is a bit too far.

The demigod knights high above clearly saw the quality and power of the Holy Tree Legion, and most importantly, the tall, red-haired woman standing at the very front of the legion.

Prosthetic arm, winged helmet, fiery red hair... without a doubt, this is the Valkyrie!

"Oh!"

After the knights of the demigod alliance looked at each other, one of them, a knight from the Volcano Mansion who seemed to have the most authority, stepped forward first.

With a muffled thud, he rode his warhorse straight down from the high ground.

The Golden Dynasty's fine warhorses, with their height of over ten meters and the weight of a fully armored knight on their backs, faced no difficulty.

Only upon landing, it seemed as if some kind of magical effect was attached to the horse tack, as a shockwave emanated from the point where the horse's hooves landed, knocking down a patch of golden weeds.

Subsequently, the other knights also mounted their warhorses and jumped down.

The leading knight didn't say a word, but stepped forward, pounded his chest, bowed, and then waited there.

This seems to indicate that they felt their status was insufficient to directly communicate with a demigod, and were therefore waiting for the demigod to send someone to make contact.

Among the venerable knights, Finley stepped forward, wielding his battle scythe.

But just as she was about to pass by her lord and step forward to communicate with the knights of the demigod alliance.

"Xilulu!"

The warhorse beneath the knight of the Volcano Mansion neighed and shook its head as it began to back away.

Finley was still enveloped in the red mist that had been carried out of the formation of the Corrupted Knights.

The power of crimson corruption is enough to make most living beings fear it.

Finlay froze, her face hidden beneath the helmet of the Dignified Knight, but anyone could sense her embarrassment.

At the Sacred Tree, Lady Michaela and Lady Malenia embraced all groups considered outsiders in the conventional customs of the borderlands.

Even those afflicted with the disease of decay can live peacefully under Lady Malenia's rule at the Sacred Tree.

The people of the Sacred Tree do not often interact with outsiders; they only accept those who are considered outsiders.

Just as Finley awkwardly stopped, Marlenia raised her hand to block her way.

This gesture transformed Finley's embarrassment into an expression of 'obeying his lord's orders'.

Then, on the other side of Marlenia, the sound of hooves rang out, and Lan En leisurely rode the Qilin past.

As he passed Marlenia, he turned and waved slightly at Finley.

"Crench!"

Finley's hand gripping the handle of the war scythe suddenly made a squeezing sound.

The Venerable Knight glanced at the silent Valkyrie, and could only lower his head in the end.

Perhaps due to their inherited taciturnity from the Valkyries, or the corrosive effects of the Corruption Disease, the Corruption Knights also dislike speaking.

But a faint 'tsk' sound could still be heard coming from Finley's helmet.

"Homage to the Valkyrie, Your Excellency."

The knights of the Volcano Mansion were the first to greet the guests, addressing them by the name of the demigod who held the highest rank present.

Lan En lowered his eyes and nodded in return.

The etiquette was simple, yet it didn't feel perfunctory or frivolous at all.

On the contrary, it makes him seem capable, efficient, and able to handle things appropriately.

“We haven’t heard a word,” the knight from the Volcano Mansion said, urging his horse to approach Lann after the formalities were completed. “It concerns the esteemed Valkyrie and her legion’s arrival in Rodel.”

"Lady Malenia and Lady Michaela have a good relationship with Prince Godwin," Lann said naturally, his eyes still lowered. "The legion had already set sail when the news of the prince's assassination arrived. It's just that the journey was long and arduous, and we've only just arrived."

"But, um, how did she land?" the Volcano Residence knight muttered as he asked. "Where did Lady Marlenia land from?"

"That's not your concern, knight," the witcher waved his hand. "What you should be doing right now is reporting to the two demigods, shouldn't you? Important matters should be discussed by the important figures themselves. By the way, buddy, your eyes seem a little red?"

As he spoke, Lan En tilted his head, as if trying to change the angle of his gaze to look at the eyes in the knight's helmet observation hole.

But now it was the Volcano Mansion Knight's turn to dodge and turn his head, stiffly avoiding his gaze.

"Hmm~" The knight adjusted his helmet. "It's nothing, thank you for your concern. It's just that the fighting has been intense lately. Yes, very intense, and it injured my eyes."

But in Lan En's view, he simply didn't want the helmet's observation port to be in Lan En's line of sight. "That red light was caused by an injury? That's strange." The Witcher narrowed his eyes slightly, but asked with feigned curiosity, "What about your comrades behind you? Are any of them injured like you?"

As he spoke, the demon hunter urged Qilin to take a few more steps forward to see the other members of the demigod alliance patrol.

However, the lead knight's warhorse seemed to be pacing in the way of Lann's advance.

"Ha. No, they're fine." The knight from the volcano mansion said in a low, breathless voice, as if he were holding back something. "We...we'll inform the demigods immediately. For now, stay here and don't move."

Lann looked at him, and only nodded in agreement when his low breathing inside the helmet grew louder.

The horses' hooves pounded the ground with a dull thud.

A group of knights from different backgrounds and affiliations within the demigod alliance bowed to Malenia and then galloped off in the direction they had come from.

Lan En looked at the backs of the group of knights, and saw the leader of the Volcano Mansion knight.

The familiar smell of blood he had just caught from afar was coming from this man.

That familiar feeling came from—[Iron Thorn] Elonmeier.

[Cursed Blood], the smell of blood... It seems that Elonmer's so-called master has begun to infiltrate the demigod alliance.

The demigod alliance patrol left, and Lann retreated back to Marlene's side.

Finley's corrupted knight helmet was pointed directly at him, a fact that left Lann bewildered.

So after nodding slightly, he immediately began to speak to Marlene.

"The demigod alliance will be here to greet you soon, but I need to give you the evidence so I can return to Rodel."

The witcher spoke in a low voice from horseback.

He was half a meter shorter than Marlene, but when he rode on the back of the Qilin, he was actually taller.

Marlenia listened without any reaction, and she had been like this ever since she landed on the Asian Plateau and appeared in front of Lan En, so it was not surprising.

But now, Lann leaned down close to her and whispered to her to reduce the risk of revealing information.

The lower half of his face, not covered by the golden winged helmet, remained expressionless.

However, Marlenia's body turned slightly to the side, and her own left hand gathered the thick red hair under her helmet, draping it over her shoulder away from Lann.

The red mist that had been drifting and swirling around the red hair was now slightly further away from the Witcher.

Lan En glanced at her movements and stopped himself from saying what he was about to say.

“You are not my knight, nor have you sworn allegiance to me,” Marlenia said calmly. “Therefore, when we come into contact, let’s keep our distance and stay safe.”

"Thank you for your concern." The Witcher nodded, then remained indifferent, maintaining his original posture. It was only because Marlene had turned to the side that the distance between them had increased.

“You certainly won’t be able to make up your mind to choose a side until I give you the evidence. So until then, I suggest you don’t express your opinion in front of the other two demigods.”

The winged helmet covering the upper half of his face turned to look at Lan En, who was bowing his head: "Are you teaching me how to do things, Faded One?"

Beside her, the Venerable Knight Finley also gripped his scythe tightly.

"This is just a suggestion." The Witcher remained calm in the face of the demigod's question. "Your best option is to remain neutral and observe from outside the battlefield. This is the same suggestion I made a long time ago. My view remains unchanged."

"No need for further words, Lord Lan En." The Valkyrie's voice was indifferent. "If you can truly produce evidence that the Black Knife Night was orchestrated by a powerful demigod, then they will become my enemies. At the same time, regardless of who orchestrated the Black Knife Night, the so-called ascension of the 'Blessed King' is still an unrecognized act, a usurpation."

"So for you, the best outcome is that both sides are my enemies. If you can prove that, then my legion and I will certainly stand aside and watch my enemies kill each other."

“I hope so.” Lan En nodded, tugged at the Qilin’s mane to make it turn around, and ran towards Rodel. “Because expecting a world that conforms to reason and logic is always a difficult thing.”

Shortly after Lann left, a large and imposing force arrived from afar. They did not have the number of members of the Holy Tree Legion, but they were all cavalry.

They respectfully welcomed the newly arrived demigod to the distant camp far from the city walls.

Meanwhile, Lann had already bypassed several patrolling and blocking squads of the demigod alliance and entered the walls of Rodel.

They gave the signal and successfully entered the city.

In less than a month, when Lan En was being lifted up from under the city wall by the elevator, he could already see large patches of damage on Rodel's sturdy and majestic city wall.

Or the charred black of flames, the blast marks left by shockwaves...

Rodel's walls remain as solid as gold that never changes, but these marks at least indicate that the intensity of the battle has indeed escalated dramatically!

It wasn't just Rodel's army that was wearing down the demigod alliance with its well-developed and powerful city defenses. The demigod alliance was also constantly launching attacks on the city walls.

It seemed that Sir Hundred Wisdom was on duty on the city wall today. As soon as Lann arrived, he saw the guy leaning on his cane, bending over and waiting at the elevator door.

(End of this chapter)