Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1999 1971. Contradiction
"The day is almost over!"

Behind the small hill, among hundreds of Rodel Knights, Christopher, the Ancient Dragon Knight, spoke in a deep voice.

The warhorses pawed the ground restlessly with their hooves, and the knights' hands gripped the reins tightly and loosely.

The tense atmosphere was palpable.

Christopher was not only one of the best among the Rhodes Knights, but also an important figure in the ancient dragon faith of the royal city. Logically speaking, given his status, strength, and experience, stability and composure were merely his basic state.

But even now, you can hear the fluctuations in his emotions.

This is because, at this moment, their ambush troops have reached a point where they have nowhere to retreat!
The night before, following the news brought by Lann and Dolores, the Roders who were lying in ambush outside the city began to prepare for battle.

Fifty warhorses were led out of the garrison one by one, and the remaining knights, after Viherer inspected the summoning arrays one by one, also summoned their own warhorses from Rodel's stables.

Everyone donned armor and took up arms. After arriving at the hillside at the edge of the battlefield, they waited for an entire day.

At present, this group of people has not made any moves, and their whereabouts have not been discovered by the demigod alliance whose attention is entirely focused on the city wall.

From the perspective of the demigod alliance on the battlefield, they are still non-existent.

But it simply doesn't exist now.

A heavy cavalry force of several hundred men could easily carve out a path just by marching together to one place!

Not to mention they've been waiting here all day!
How could the traces of people eating and horses chewing, and the places where they stayed and rested, possibly be concealed?

If the demigod alliance finishes today's siege and returns to camp to rest, these traces will inevitably be discovered!

They would soon find out that there was an armed force outside Rodel City that they had not noticed before! And that it was spying on their battlefield during the day!
What followed was a large-scale investigation and search!

No matter how well-hidden a troop deployment point is, it's just a place that will be found sooner or later in the face of the demigod alliance, which is determined to find the hidden threat.

Therefore, this deployment was a no-turn-back operation with no way out.

As night deepened, the demigod alliance's attack gradually showed signs of halting and retreating, and the Knights of Rodel naturally became increasingly anxious.

If we don't fight today, we'll never have another chance!

"Ignite it!"

In the distance, shouts could be heard from the demigod alliance.

Tonight, the fog is thick, and dark clouds in the sky obscure the enormous moon and most of the golden tree, making half of the Altai Plateau where Rodel is located appear dim and gloomy.

The demigod alliance had been fighting beneath the city walls for some time and was therefore well-prepared. Torches were lit in the hands of the people, illuminating the surrounding darkness.

From the moment the order was given, the lighting of torches spread like a wave, gradually covering the entire coalition forces.

Suddenly, a flurry of firelight appeared beneath the walls of Rodel.

But this also means that the demigod alliance will retreat earlier than usual today.

This was absolutely terrible news for Lan En and his team!

"The Golden Tree!" Krepp cursed under his breath. The gloomy sky obscured his face, but one could imagine that his expression was far from pleasant.

He silently moved closer to Lan En: "Is the information accurate?! Are you sure it's for today?"

Before the Witcher could speak, Dolores beside him interjected, "We both heard it! That man was talking about today!"

"So, is that person trustworthy or not?" Krep continued his frantic questioning. "You two saw him! I've met Ampach before; he's the guard of the Lord's Elevator, calm and experienced. But what's his stance now? And how did you confirm his stance?"

Dolores opened his mouth in the dim light, but couldn't utter a single word.

Strictly speaking, when Ampah came to deliver the message yesterday, only Lan En of the two of them saw the blood power Ampah used and thus confirmed his stance.

Dolores was simply following Lann's lead. She herself did not confirm anything with Ampahdo.

However, Lan En couldn't talk about the power of blood at this time.

His understanding of the power of blood in the borderlands began with his encounter with [Ironthorn] Elonmer in Sunshade City.

Elonmeier is technically on Rodel's side, and if Lann were to explain the situation, it would inevitably involve his hostility towards Elonmeier.

Explaining this at this time would only create confusion and raise questions.

Therefore, in the dim light, the Witcher did not answer Krape's questions.

However, his eyes, which gleamed faintly in the dim light, remained calm as he gently stroked the mane of the Qilin on its neck, making a rubbing sound.

The plush ball quietly began to check its props and equipment again.

"Are your and Viher's spells ready?"

Lann suddenly asked, "Use it now?" Krep's voice faltered. "How much time can that buy? If it's a retreat, then..."

"Retreat? Where can we retreat to?" The Witcher looked up at the sky. "Prepare yourselves. This is the last and best chance. You know that, Krepp."

The two-finger spy's face was obscured by shadows, but he remained silent for a moment before taking a deep breath and walking straight to the front of the group.

Viherer, holding a staff, stood in the middle of the group.

Lan En's calmness was not due to helplessness at the last minute, but because he knew clearly in his heart: the so-called 'master' who was able to arrange the demigod alliance all the way from Sunshade City to the walls of Rodel City without revealing his strength was the one who controlled the power of blood.

It's impossible to make a mistake at such a crucial moment.
-
"Let's prepare to retreat to camp."

From his command post, Laqad, as usual, raised his hand to give orders to the officers around him.

It was now very dark, and even the military banners embroidered with gold thread were blurred. The knights around them had lit torches.

Withdrawing troops under these visible conditions is both reasonable and justifiable.

But when the messenger ran towards the front line and ordered the buglers to prepare to sound the horn, the atmosphere at the command post was even more somber than on the battlefield.

The knights of Nymgford frowned at the knights of the Volcano Mansion, their dissatisfaction evident.

"We set out in the morning and returned to camp in the evening." Suddenly, standing next to Laqad, the huge and twisted Gevya said with a deep laugh, "This battle is really interesting. Anyone who didn't know better would think that such a large group of us were running a shop here."

Several months have passed since the siege began, but the walls of Rodel remain standing.

If the demigod alliance achieves any results, even if they are only insignificant each day, then this methodical siege can be seen as resilient, calm, and determined.

But if there's no progress at all, it's inevitable that people will say it's like clocking in and out to work every day.

Furthermore, as Ge Fuya observed the battlefield these past few days, he felt increasingly uneasy.

The dark mass of people was indeed imposing, but when he looked closer, he wondered if it was because of his own suspicions and preconceived notions.

He always felt that the proportion of knights fighting on the front lines wearing black robes with red trim was decreasing.

Meanwhile, his men, who had come from Nymgfu, numbered far more and more soldiers in red and green cloaks.

It's not good to talk about this openly, because if we do, we'll just break off all ties.

Moreover, he currently has no data to present as evidence, which he has compiled after conducting an investigation.

There are simply too many people in the legion. Without careful verification, just glancing at the densely packed heads, especially during such an intense siege, makes it hard to be credible and convincing.

But having reliable data is one thing, while subjective doubt is another.

Does the absence of evidence mean that people will not have doubts?
Once doubt begins, it's hard to stop on your own.

In addition, there is the mysterious madness that has been raging in the military camp for many days. Those who have gone mad are knights and soldiers from Ningmgeful. Occasionally, a couple of madmen can be pulled out from the Gemir Volcano, but who knows if they are actually from the Volcano's official residence?
Or was the madman captured and forced to wear a Volcano Knight's cloak?
So many people have gone mad, but I've never seen a knight from the Volcano Mansion have a public breakdown. This just doesn't make sense.

So now, as Griffith looked at the composed Lacad, his tone involuntarily took on a somewhat ambiguous quality.

However, this is different from the frustration that arises from 'feeling that something is happening against you but you can't find any clues' that Gougher felt.

Laqad consistently displayed remarkable composure.

He shook his Grand Justice robes and responded to Griffith with an almost comforting tone.

"Don't be angry, Lord Gavya." Lakad stroked his neatly trimmed beard. "Rodel's walls have never completely collapsed. Isn't that something we all agreed on before the war even started? This war won't be easy; we just have to endure it."

Laqad's words make it sound as if he is a man of great wisdom and magnanimity.

But in reality, the people from Mount Gemir knew that their lord was just waiting for someone.

Originally, the three demigods, who were related by marriage, should have worked together.

They did exactly that when planning Black Knife Night.

However, after the Night of the Black Knife, the Moon Princess, who was closest to the Yatan Plateau, disappeared without a trace and could not provide any assistance.

Furthermore, the 'gift' and 'sincerity' that were supposed to be delivered on the night of Black Knife Night have also vanished without a trace.

So Lakad assumed that Lani was scared or that something had happened to her, and that he no longer expected anything from her.

After their father, Radagan, remarried Queen Marika, he immediately sent them to different parts of the country. So, apart from their shared stance due to their bloodline, they didn't actually have much affection for each other.

However, Lani didn't care. The most dangerous night of the Black Knife had passed, and Lani's role was over.

Ratahn, he couldn't ignore it!

(End of this chapter)