Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1993, 1965: Ambush
The Witcher keenly sensed a tense feeling, as if he were being targeted, in the area around his Adam's apple artery.

He subconsciously tensed his neck muscles, and the hairs on his neck stood on end.

However, he controlled this instinctive reaction, which belongs to a seasoned soldier, very well, and it was basically impossible for outsiders to tell that he had noticed it.

On the contrary, under these circumstances, his concentration was fully mobilized, allowing him to react to unexpected situations at any time.

At this moment, in the sky above the Altar Plateau, the light of the Golden Tree was soft yet vast, and a huge full moon hung on the treetop.

The lighting conditions were good, but there were still plenty of deep shadows around the trees and shrubs with their various golden leaves.

The wind on the Alpine Plateau made the trees sway, and the shadows flickered accordingly.

"Dolores?" Lann called out from horseback, "Is that you?"

A rustling sound came from the shadows beneath the trees ahead, and a slender figure dressed in men's hunting attire emerged.

She waved cheerfully at Lan En, and the demon hunter patted the Qilin's neck, urging it to continue moving forward.

As the sound of the Qilin's hooves drew closer, Dolores's hunter's hat was cautiously turning from side to side.

Her eyes scanned the surroundings to make sure that no one was following Lan En.

“No need to look,” Lan En jumped off the saddle with a thud. “This place is backed by a cliff, and it’s the highest point around. You can see the top just by looking down. I’m not with anyone behind me.”

Although Lan En said that, Dolores still carefully checked it again before looking away, pressing his hat down and smiling up at Lan En.

"If the plan is risky, then its execution must be extremely cautious. This is a lesson learned from experience."

The Faded Ones are all veterans of the War of the Giants, and they speak eloquently about their experiences.

Since Lan En has found this place, it means that Sir Hundred Wisdoms of Rodel City has already told him about the plan, so there's nothing that can't be discussed.

Dolores put away her bow and arrows, turned to the side and beckoned to Lann, indicating that she should follow her inside.

"Weren't you sent out on an errand?" Dolores asked Lann as she led the way. "I remember you went to... Sunshade City? Are you back already?"

The two walked into the dense thicket of trees. These golden bushes looked impenetrable, but it was actually just an optical illusion.

Once you really squeeze in, you'll find that it's not difficult to walk through.

Only a few thin branches that could be easily pushed aside blocked part of the road, which was wide enough for a horse-drawn carriage to pass through.

Dolores had clearly not been in contact with Rodel City for some time, and his understanding of Lann's situation was still based on the period when he went to Sunshade City.

“We’re back,” Lan En said, raising his hand to push the branches aside. He followed the steps of the woman dressed as a man, leading the Qilin. “With me came Marlenia and her Sacred Tree Legion.”

This was actually meant to scare Dolores a little, but it was meant as a joke.

After all, before Lann accomplished this, Rodel's side basically assumed that the Twin Trees would also be enemies.

The Valkyrie's arrival at the gates of Rodel is bad news no matter what.

However, Dolores remained remarkably calm.

The woman in men's clothing leading the way paused slightly upon hearing the news, but then returned to normal.

"Is that so?" Dolores said calmly. "Then the situation is really not good."

"You're so calm, aren't you?"

Lan En said jokingly.

The woman in men's clothing leading the way is Torisha's friend, but the kind perfumer is tormented by the conflict between her kindness and fear, while Dolores remains calm even after hearing absolutely bad news.

The two people's reactions were completely different.

"What's the use of panicking?" the woman in men's clothing said calmly. "No matter how bad the news is, the Faded Ones will not betray Two Fingers, nor will they betray Rodel. We will fight to the last moment."

"Since the worst possible outcome has already come to mind, I can accept the rest of the process with equanimity."

Dolores' tone was calm yet firm.

This steadfastness is not frivolous at all; on the contrary, it reveals the indifference of a veteran.

It is only at such times that the aura of a faded veteran overshadows Dolores's overly delicate appearance due to her wearing men's hunting attire.

She and Torisha are friends, that's true, but in terms of mental fortitude and maturity, they are definitely not the same kind of people.

“Just kidding,” Lann explained, watching Dolores’s retreating figure. “Marinia is here, that’s true, but she’s just observing and has no intention of participating in the war.”

"Ah? Can this still happen?"

Dolores didn't stop walking, but turned around in surprise.

Especially after hearing Lann recount how he persuaded Malenia to join the demigod alliance, he nodded repeatedly. The Faded Ones are steadfast defenders of the Golden Dynasty, that's true. But if it could be easier and more secure, why not?
A gentle breeze carried the fragrance of grass and trees from the bushes.

After walking a few more steps, the narrow, dimly lit passage came to an end, and ahead was a suddenly open area.

In this open space enclosed by rock walls, at least several hundred Rodel knights have already set up camp.

From the outside, no one would be able to tell that there is such a space here.

After Lan En followed him in, he only needed to glance at the group briefly before his military expertise and keen eyesight allowed him to quickly understand the composition of these knights.

It was mostly Rhodes Knights; soldiers and sergeants weren't even qualified to be here. Clearly, Baizhi had adopted a strategy of maximizing the elite status of this force waiting outside the city, in order to ensure it possessed crucial strength.

Even so, seemingly considering the spaciousness of the hiding place, of the hundreds of Rodel knights, fewer than fifty brought their horses out of the city with them.

Without a doubt, these Rodel knights, equipped with warhorses, are the elite among the elite.

Rodel's warhorses were strong and intelligent, and they were gathered together, occupying a corner of the open space, and were taken care of as a whole.

The best hay was tied into large bundles and piled up to one side.

Judging from the details Lan En observed, these herbs were probably blended by a perfumer.

Herba grass, deciduous flowers, Roya fruits, and even high-grade herbs, including Attila leaves, were chopped up and mixed in evenly.

Attila leaf is a plant with thick, juicy, and blood-red leaves, which is often associated with stimulant effects in the perfumer's field of knowledge.

The nearly fifty warhorses were silent, with only the muffled thud of their hooves on the ground, the occasional rustling of hay as they chewed, and the occasional smacking of their lips.

Since the warhorses had undergone special training in silence, the knights on the open ground naturally became even more disciplined and serious.

One-fifth of the hundreds of knights were on duty, never leaving their armor.

The heavy gold armor on them remained completely still, for these men were truly on guard duty, not moving an inch. Presumably, only their eyes beneath their helmets were scanning left and right through the observation ports.

The remaining four-fifths of the knights were gently and skillfully maintaining their armor and weapons.

He handled the steel and metal with perfect precision, yet there was no creaking noise from any collisions during his movements. Every plate of armor was carefully placed, and every small dagger was gently sheathed...

A force of several hundred men and fifty warhorses—such a large army was already a dense mass of heads before our eyes.

Not to mention that this open space was not large to begin with, and now it is even more crowded and cramped.

But even in such an environment, the entire open space was basically quiet, without any noise or commotion.

Everyone primarily communicated with eye contact, only lowering their voices and getting close for brief exchanges when necessary and complex communication was required.

The sight of a large crowd, combined with their near-silent voices, creates a distorted feeling, almost like watching a video where the audio and video don't match at all.

This is one of Rodel's well-trained elite troops lying in ambush.

Judging from Dolores's nonchalant attitude, this level of silence and concealment was perfectly normal for the elite Rodel Knights.

"Well, with us observing from the outside entrance, this place is really inconspicuous, so there's no need to be so careful."

The woman dressed as a man led Lan En in. In this environment, she unconsciously lowered her voice and stood on tiptoe to whisper in Lan En's ear.

"But that's what the training manual for Knights Rodel requires, and everyone has learned it to the bone, so it naturally turned out the way it is now."

“It’s a good thing that they can be cautious on their own,” Lan En replied in a low voice.

However, when he bent down to speak to Dolores, he didn't notice that the woman in men's clothing had turned slightly red at the base of her ears.

Lan En's arrival attracted a lot of attention.

After all, he was clearly not wearing the standard equipment of the Knights of Rhodes, and the bone white of Smaug stood out conspicuously against the gold.

People knew he was supposed to be a Faded Hero. But the knights didn't come over to greet him or say anything; instead, they quietly went about their business.

Hundreds of knights were secretly dispatched by Sir Hundred Wisdom through hundreds of daily orders after Lann went to Sunshade City.

This clandestine operation continued until today, allowing such an elite armed force to accumulate outside the city without anyone noticing.

Dolores helped Lan En settle the Qilin, and various other things.

Judging from how crowded the open space was, Lan En had a rough idea of ​​what was going on: Rodel's counterattack should be imminent.

After all, if we delay any longer, there won't be enough room to hide so many people here.

However, it is unclear what exactly this so-called "signal of counterattack" that the Prince of Cifu so confidently vowed to deliver is.

(End of this chapter)