Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1982 1954. Doubtful Heart
As the large tent was gradually burned to ashes, Laqad appeared before the patrol team without any apparent abnormality. Not even the hem of his clothes was charred, and the wine in his golden cup had not evaporated.

The Knight of Mount Gemir stepped forward, stepping over the still-burnt tents, and stood before his lord.

"How many people went crazy today?"

Lakad's voice was completely different from when he spoke with the demigods; it was devoid of emotion, let alone sincerity or fervor... It was like a cold-blooded snake!

After all, in his eyes, demigods are powerful beings worth maintaining a relationship with, while ordinary people are clearly not worthy of his effort to put on a smiling face.

“Three,” the Volcano Knight said in a low voice. “Two knights from Nimgfora, and the other one is one of ours.”

The number of people who went mad today, as told by the Gemir Volcano Knight, was significantly different from the rumors the Nymgford Knights had made around the campfire.

Lakad remained expressionless, then suddenly asked, "The same as before?"

"Same. The knights of Nymgford went mad in public, but our man... went mad suddenly in a place where no one else could see him."

With a metallic crackling sound, the gold cup in Laqad's hand was crushed into a ball.

The Volcano Knight of Gemir could understand his lord's current frustration and anger.

A madness has broken out in the camp, but if it were just a plague, that would be fine; everyone would suffer together, and no one should blame anyone else.

But something's clearly not right now!
Madness erupted openly among the knights of Nymgford, but among the knights of their volcanic manor, it often erupted only in private, without any other witnesses.

This immediately made the difference apparent.

In the eyes of everyone in the camp, it was all the people from Ningmgefulai who suffered, while the people from the volcano mansion were fine!
Now, let alone Gevya, if it were Lakad himself, he would suspect that the other side was up to something and was draining his side's strength!

"Should we..." The Volcano Knight of Gemir hesitated for a moment, but still tentatively suggested, "Should we take our madmen to Lord Gefia for a look?"

"Show them?" Laqad asked expressionlessly. "As long as the illness isn't witnessed on the spot, how much friction can occur when a patient is brought over from a secondary crime scene? How many suspicious points can the people over there find?"

The Grand Justice looked down at the golden cup he had crumpled into a ball, then released it, letting it fall onto the ashes, and let out a cold snort.

"Not to mention, the seeds of doubt have already been sown between our two sides. Now that doubt has begun, the fate of our alliance falling apart is already sealed."

"Have our field medics been thoroughly investigated?"

Lakad questioned his knight, but the knight's helmet shook.

“We’ve checked everyone three times already, and there’s nothing wrong with it. Vanre personally led them through the routine checks first, then the prayer check, and finally the magic check.”

Vanley is the leader of the field medics at the Volcano Mansion and also the one with the best medical skills.

This is also one of the main reasons why the knights of Gough and Nymgford suspected that the Volcano Mansion was up to something.

Not only because, in the public eye, all those who went mad were Knights of Nymgford. More importantly—those who went mad were all people who had been treated by battlefield medics!
With several factors combined, Laqad now has no choice but to accept the situation, whether he wants to or not.

Now that things have come to this, Laqad is absolutely certain that someone is targeting him, targeting the demigod alliance!

But what good is knowing this? Will knowing this allow him to dispel his suspicions and build mutual trust with Ge Fuya? To restart their close cooperation?

—Did he believe Gough?
Even if Ge Fuya seemed to have a sudden realization after hearing this, and appeared to want to continue working together for mutual benefit... could I really believe that he had truly let go?
Once the spiral of suspicion begins to rise in this situation, it becomes an endless chain of distrust.

In the short time it took to lower and then raise his head, Laqad spoke coldly.

"Starting tomorrow, let's give our people a little rest."

The Knight of Mount Gemir suddenly looked up at his lord, his armor and helmet rattling loudly.

"Tonight, give them the order. Tell them it was my instruction: conserve your energy, don't rush, and don't compete."

Lacad glanced sideways at the knight beside him.

"But you can't make this too obvious...you know what I mean?"

The knight swallowed hard under his helmet, not out of nervousness, but because such an action was truly... dishonorable, and contrary to chivalry.

However, under the demigod lord's cold, piercing gaze, he still managed to nod with difficulty.

"Yes, sir. But..."

"but what?"

"But how long should we 'not be in a hurry'? This battle of offense and defense will eventually have to be fought hard."

To this question, Laqad answered very directly and frankly: "Wait until my brother comes from Galid to the Altan Plateau! He will bring his Red Lion Legion and join forces with me!"

"At that time, let alone Gefuya, I'd like to see if this royal city, without the protection of [Gold] Godwin, can still stop the two of us brothers!"
-
"This is..." Marlenia murmured softly, her prosthetic hand gently tracing the grotesque cracks on the black blade, "the black blade that killed Godwin's soul and created the first demigod's death?" Not only was her tone light and murmured, but even the way her prosthetic hand brushed the cracks on the black blade seemed to be carefully avoiding awakening something terrifying.

As a demigod who should have been immortal during the Golden Age, the power of the [Death Rune] within this blade had been greatly depleted during the last assassination attempt.

However, it still posed a threat to Marlenia, making her feel like her natural enemy!
“Look at the curse marks on its blade.”

With no one around, Lann stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the outer wall of Rodel, where even the moonlight and the glow of the golden tree couldn't reach him due to the angle. He pointed out the crucial information on the sword to Marlene.

Malenia was born after the end of the War of the Titans, and from the moment she was born, death was sealed away in this world.

Therefore, the shock may be even greater than that felt by many who have faded.

But she quickly adjusted her mindset, suppressing the bewilderment and instinctive horror of her first encounter with "death," and ran her fingers along the blade.

Her prosthetic arm made a soft metallic clanging sound as it rubbed against the black knife.

With the knowledge and eyesight of a demigod, the origin of the curse marks on the black blade was immediately clear.

"Death was infused into the blade through a ritual, and based on the traces left by the ritual, the person who conducted the ritual was... Lani!"

Marlenia's flat, cold voice echoed around them.

In the shadows at the base of the Rodel Wall, Malenia's voice was almost chilling, like the voice of a hazy, ethereal female ghost.

However, after traveling together for more than a week, Lan En had long since gotten used to Marlenia's tone of voice.

He could even joke with the Valkyrie right now.

“If you’re willing to come in with me to Rodel, besides this physical evidence, I can also take you to see witnesses.”

The Witcher chuckled and gave a thumbs-up, pointing towards the city wall behind him.

Marlenia didn't react to his joke at all, and simply put the black knife into her bell.

“It seems you were right,” the Valkyrie looked down at the Witcher. “Now, the demigod alliance and Rodel both have a reason to be hostile to the Sacred Tree.”

“But from another perspective,” Lann waved his hand, “both sides have reasons to be hostile, so it’s best not to get involved with either side. Even if you’re not just a third-party battlefield observer, I think it would be a good choice to lead your legion back to the Holy Tree right now. But I still have a few things I’m curious about to ask.”

"what?"

“You don’t seem to have any particularly strong emotions about Godwin’s death.” The Witcher looked at the other person with a probing gaze. “You give me the feeling that… well, this trip to the Altan Plateau is more like completing a mission than finding the truth about your brother’s assassination.”

The Valkyrie, whose fiery red hair was striking even in the shadows, paused for a moment upon hearing this, but quickly returned to normal.

“I only have one older brother. That’s Michaela.”

She spoke the words that had been on her mind not long ago in the tents of the other two demigods.

However, compared to when she was facing Griffith and Lacad, she was at least calm when she spoke to Lann.

“You two siblings are only two hundred years old now, yet you have already established the Sacred Tree. That means you were even younger when you left Rodel. Leaving your homeland at such a young age, I imagine the process must have been quite unpleasant.”

Lan En kept his arms crossed, but leaned his shoulder against the city wall with amusement.

"But as far as I know, there are people in this world who see [Golden] Godwin as an obstacle, but no one has ever hated or disliked him. Godwin is the perfect Golden Prince. Even he, when you and your siblings were young, ...?"

Lan En pursed his lips before finishing his sentence, but the meaning was already self-evident.

However, Marleneya bluntly refuted the Witcher's speculation.

“No, Godwin is very good.” The Valkyrie remained calm as always. “He did care for and love us when we were young, treating us the same as everyone else, whether it was the rotting disease or not growing up. My brother and I are very grateful for his precious care.”

“In fact, Michaela is at the Sacred Tree. Besides overseeing the event, she also wants to make a sword as a memorial and farewell gift for Godwin’s death.”

"But for me..."

Marlenia lowered her head, her prosthetic hand held before her eyes, clenching and unclenching with a precise, crisp 'click' sound.

"I am a disabled person, and perhaps because of this, even my heart has become disabled."

“A broken heart can’t hold too many people. There’s only one place for me to care about and love. And that place already belongs to Michaela.”

“I am Marlenia. I am—[Michaela’s Blade].”

(End of this chapter)