Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1981 (1953). Interrogation
Marlenia's departure did not improve the atmosphere in the tent at all; on the contrary, it made the atmosphere even more somber.

"Hula~"

Laqad and Goffia remained standing in the same spot, each still holding a golden cup.

But in the distance inside the tent, the spot where Marlenia had just stood and the entire wine cabinet she had touched were instantly engulfed in flames by the intense heat.

The fire burned fiercely, but even though the flames had reached the tent decorated with the golden tree pattern, they failed to ignite the tent cloth itself.

This indicates that the flames are completely under some kind of control.

A fierce fire burned inside the tent, with no heat or smoke escaping.

The two demigods inside the tent seemed completely oblivious to the flickering firelight, continuing their calm conversation.

"It seems that Marlenia doesn't want to join us."

The arms on Ge Fuya's back swayed and danced in the firelight, making him look like a monster from some storybook.

"So what if she doesn't want to?" Lakad sneered, flicking his fingers, causing the flames in that area to burn even brighter. "Since she's already here, would you agree to not involving her?"

It was only then that Ge Fuya glanced sideways at the burning wine cabinet for the first time.

Flames, burning flames, can destroy and inhibit most of the crimson decay.

It's like using fire to burn away fungi, mushrooms, and pests.

This was probably because Lakad was disgusted and repulsed by the crimson corruption, so he simply destroyed the place that Malenia had ever been in contact with.

Gavya had not returned to the Altan Plateau, to Roder, for centuries.

So he had never seen Michaela and Marleneja born, or what they looked like growing up in Rodel. Today was his first meeting with one of the Twin Trees.

In his heart, he wasn't really that concerned about the crimson corruption on Malenia's body. After all, he was a demigod who had been part of the Golden Clan since the founding of the Golden Dynasty. Although he wasn't exactly familiar with crimson corruption, he had certainly seen it before.

In his memory, it wasn't too difficult to deal with.

He didn't even place much importance on the title of "Valkyrie".

After all, how strong could someone suffering from corruption really be?
He had only a superficial understanding of how severe and 'pure' the corruption in Malenia's body was. He had absolutely no idea what that meant.

However, Lakad had been serving as the Grand Justice of Mount Gmir ever since he became a demigod by marriage, so he was aware of this matter.

Therefore, although the wine cabinet has now been burned to ashes, the fierce and sinister flames are still burning back and forth in the same spot.

“Now that she’s come to the Altar of Asia, she can’t expect to extricate herself so easily.” Lakad’s fingers traced the rim of the golden cup, a ruthless glint in his eyes. “Want to watch the spectacle for centuries, until a winner emerges? She and Michaela are dreaming!”

"It won't take hundreds of years. In half a month, I'll have my logistics officers replicate a batch of the Holy Tree Legion's flags, robes, and armor. Then we'll take this equipment directly to attack the city! Let's see if Rodel thinks she's just a bystander."

"After a while, she'll have no choice but to hit me, whether she wants to or not!"

"whatever."

Gevya still didn't care much about Marlenia or the Holy Tree Legion she brought.

This is partly due to a lack of understanding of the Twin Sacred Trees, and partly because the Ningmgefu region itself is vast and militarily powerful.

Although it involved traversing Lienia and deploying troops to the Altan Plateau, it was still far more abundant than Rodel, which only had one city.

However, Griffia didn't care about the paltry legion that Marleneia brought; he cared about other things.

His haphazardly attached limbs writhed like a centipede, while his eyes glanced sideways at Laqad.

"But I hope our partnership can be more stable."

"What do you mean by that?" The chief justice's expression remained unchanged, even carrying a hint of dissatisfaction at being wronged. "Or do you believe those completely fabricated rumors circulating in the camp?"

"I believe there's a hidden, clandestine hospital in our camp, and among the doctors I brought are a group of unknown, mad-blooded doctors?"

“You have to believe me, Griffia.” Lacadana’s stern face was now serious and sincere. “We’re on the same side now! The field medics at the Volcano Mansion don’t have the skills of the perfumers in Rodel City, but those rumors are pure nonsense!”

"Yes, the doctors I trained are not very capable. Compared to the perfumers, when faced with a dying wounded person, they can only use a short sword to sever their cervical vertebrae, paralyzing and crippling them so they can't feel the pain of the wound. They won't be driven insane by the torture." "But this behavior is precisely out of compassion. The short swords I equip them with are also called the Compassion Short Swords."

"They were completely covered up, with white headscarves and white plaster masks on their faces. These attire was intended for medical purposes, not to make them appear more terrifying or cruel when stained with blood!"

"Believe me, Gavrilo. Your soldiers are only paranoid because of their acts of mercy and their uniforms."

Lakad looked directly into Goffia's eyes.

His gaze was focused and resolute, as if he completely trusted the field doctors who had been transferred from the Volcano Residence to support the battlefield.

The world where the border lies, aside from the dazzling technological wonders and phenomena created by supernatural forces, is essentially still a relatively primitive society.

As a high-level technology, medicine is currently most famous among the perfumers in Rodel, the capital of the Golden Dynasty, who are all from good families and have considerable wealth.

The perfumer's skill, combined with the Golden Law prayer and the interplay of supernatural forces, has resulted in the borderland people having a relatively rudimentary level of medical literacy, yet they have already achieved many medical accomplishments that would be commendable even in more advanced civilizations.

But their perfumers are all locals from Rodel, the kings of the capital!

The Perfumers Guild is only located in Rodel.

Aside from special cases like Sunshade City, perfumers normally don't stray too far from Rodel.

The Volcano Residence managed to train a group of battlefield medics, but regardless of their skill level, even if they only knew how to execute wounded soldiers on the battlefield, the knights who only knew how to treat simple injuries based on their experience were much better at it.

This was the result of Laqad's advance preparations and ambitious plans.

Gavya could mobilize troops and logistics from Nymgford, but he couldn't send out battlefield doctors, because he simply didn't have any such personnel there.

But the demigod with the limbs extended, looking into the Grand Justice's emotionally charged eyes, was completely unmoved by this.

“You can call anyone paranoid, Raccard. But those bloodthirsty lunatics are real! And they’ve injured quite a few people in their madness!”

“That’s just a lingering effect of the battlefield,” Lakad retorted without hesitation. “Rodel is a great city that has never been conquered, and it is also the capital of the Golden Dynasty. Just attacking the city walls alone puts our knights under tremendous mental pressure.”

"Not to mention, they fought a bloody battle right beneath these walls. You, Lord Gavya, are a demigod who fought the entire War of the Giants from beginning to end. You are a veteran of the battlefield."

"You should know very well that the fierce and bloody battlefield is enough to crush the minds of those warriors who are not strong enough, turning them into madmen. Did this happen less often during the war against the giants?"

Laqad looked knowing and his expression was one of unwavering belief.

This certainty is almost contagious.

But Griffith looked at him as if he were a liar golem!
Driven mad by the cruelty of the battlefield?
It was precisely because Goffia had seen so many, that he didn't believe Laqad's explanation at all!
Putting aside the fact that many of those who went mad were personally selected by Ge Fuya, the fact that they were among the first batches to arrive at the Yatan Plateau demonstrates the considerable strength of their entire legion.

You're telling me that someone who's honed themselves to this level of strength can't handle the mental strain after just over a month of fighting?
They planned to fight this battle until Rodríguez ran out of supplies, for at least a decade, several decades, or even several centuries!

If the warriors on the border couldn't withstand this pressure, then Gevya and Lakad wouldn't have designed this siege in the first place.

Besides, which soldier, after a mental breakdown, doesn't either shout incoherently or remain trapped in the memory of the dangerous moment? Why would someone speak clearly and fanatically, shouting things like, "Bleed! Show your wounds!"
You're telling me with your eyes wide open that this is because you've been terrified by war?

But Griffith didn't say anything more.

This wasn't the first time he and Laqad had discussed these things.

People are capable of sensing the intensity and direction of a conversation. They can sense when things have escalated to a point where taking another step could lead to an argument or a complete breakdown in relations. These feelings can be discerned through the tone of voice and the context of the conversation.

At this moment, Griffith realized that if he continued to press the matter, Lakad might lose his composure.

Now was not the time for him to break ties with such a powerful demigod as Rakad, so Geffia simply gave Rakad one last deep glare before walking out of the burning tent frame.

After Griffia left, the sincerity on Lacad's face slowly disappeared in the flickering light of the flames.

The flames, which were originally confined to the area around the wine cabinet, began to roll and ignite the entire tent.

Marlenia was right; Lakad really didn't want the entire camp anymore, just because she had been inside.

The firelight from the main tent quickly attracted a patrol. The knights of the volcano manor were already familiar with this kind of fire, so they stopped as soon as they arrived nearby.

(End of this chapter)