Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 2021 1993. Inside the Imperial Palace
The process of passing through the two-finger seal was smooth, without the slightest resistance.

The two concentric rings of runes form the emblem of the two-finger spell.

As Lan En passed through, the sealing light barrier rippled.

Those outside the light screen craned their necks in anticipation, some even standing on tiptoe, hoping to catch a glimpse of the palace or even of the Blessed King.

This palace, which has never been opened to the public since the emperor's ascension to the throne, and the king who never shows his true face, are all very rare in this day and age.

Velvet Ball had originally planned to pretend not to know the rules and sneak in with Lan En.

Unfortunately, the kitten bumped into the two-finger seal and was knocked down on its bottom.

Then, it meowed shyly, covered its head, and darted into the crowd.

The crowd responds with tolerant and teasing smiles.

Now that the Battle of Rodel has been won, people are more tolerant and generous... at least for the moment.

Once the Witcher enters the Two-Finger Seal, he is greeted by a wide, white stone staircase that extends upwards.

The brilliant gold on the handrails on both sides of the stone steps intertwines with the solemn white of the stone steps themselves, creating a consistent artistic style of Rodel.

There was no sign of the Blessed King behind the light screen, nor were there any palace stewards or servants to guide them.

Only the golden leaves fall silently.

"Do I have to walk up myself?"

Lan En muttered under his breath.

It is impolite to wander around someone's home unattended, let alone in a royal palace.

However, since the King of Blessing had invited Lan En into the house and then disappeared without a trace, it seemed that he had tacitly approved of this situation.

On the other hand, Lan En felt his hand being gently pulled by a force, pulling him towards the top of the stairs.

"We're almost there, Lann." A soft, dreamlike girl's voice whispered in the Witcher's ear, "My mission, the journey I'm on with you... We will find the answer."

"Both Torrett and I are very... grateful to you."

Melina's voice was as calm as ever, even somewhat devoid of emotion.

However, the whispers in the palace made the Witcher frown slightly and look at the empty space beside him.

Lan En could discern the hidden emotions in the seemingly unchanging tone of the soul girl he had spent so much time with.

This was originally one of his talents.

Heaviness, a touch of fear, more determination, and... relief and reluctance.

What exactly is the 'mission' that Melina is talking about? What does she need to do?
And who gave her this so-called mission?

Lan En didn't have time to guess more from Melina's subtle tone and emotions, because the girl was urging him to move upwards.

As he climbed the stone steps, halfway up, Lan En saw the corpse of Granny Jiezhi displayed on both sides of the steps.

Two long rows of corpses stretched upwards along the railing.

Each corpse was a thin, frail old woman, her shrunken, deformed body curled up, clutching her cane as she fell.

It gives Witcher the feeling of seeing pilgrims kneeling on both sides of the street in the fire-filled city of Lothric, praying for the Prince of Lothric to link the fire, until they die.

Hundreds of elderly women who untangle fingers.

Lan En couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in surprise when he saw the bodies of these people.

After all, these people are not ordinary characters; they are servants of the Two Fingers and have been granted eternal life by the Two Fingers.

Hundreds of immortals died here.

Lann was not only surprised by the deaths of so many immortals, but also by the fact that "just one Two Fingers of the Round Table" was able to grant immortality to hundreds of people.

Eternal life seems a little too common in this world.

This was true even before the Golden Age.

To Lan En, the entire palace seemed devoid of life, save for the sounds of his own footsteps and breathing. Below, the city of Rodel reveled in cheers, yet the sounds seemed distant and unreachable.

Because they are in actual contact with the main trunk of the Golden Tree, in addition to the solemn and majestic golden carvings and white stones, there are also many thick, woody roots that are intertwined with the buildings in the palace.

Lan En wanted to try it out. Could touching these roots be considered fulfilling Melina's purpose and helping her understand her mission?
Unfortunately, Melina seemed completely unconcerned about the wooden parts, and simply continued to hold Lann's hand steadily and persistently as they walked upwards.

Soon, after passing through a series of magnificent and solemn buildings, the Witcher arrived before the Queen's Chamber. This was Queen Marika's private chamber, and also the room in the entire palace closest to the trunk of the Golden Tree.

What bothered Lan En was that Melina seemed to know the way very well, leading him directly over without any detours.

...Is she familiar with this place?

Lan En had always sensed that the soul girl's identity was not simple, but now, he did not continue to follow Melina's lead and go further in.

He stopped in front of the Queen's boudoir and looked behind the curtains inside the room.

The Queen's boudoir has a very simple layout, with all rooms made of rustic and rough stone.

The floors, pillars, and walls were all quite different from the white marble used in the palace. Even the only bed was made of stone.

Behind the bed were stone slabs with inscriptions on them, the square slabs piled up to form a small mountain.

There was only a curtain separating the hill and the bed.

The curtain was lifted and hung on the golden hooks on both sides. Behind the lifted curtain, a tall figure could be vaguely seen.

Melina, perhaps in a hurry, didn't notice the figure. But Lan En did.

This was the first and only living person they had seen since entering the palace.

"Is that you there, Your Majesty?"

The witcher asked tentatively, showing good manners.

The soul girl, who had just been holding his hand and trying to walk forward, immediately pulled her hand back.

A sound like skin rubbing against the stone floor of the boudoir rang out.

It was someone behind the curtain who moved their feet, but judging from the sound... this Prince of Blessings wasn't even wearing shoes in the palace?

Lan En's greeting did not prompt the Blessed King to appear immediately; instead, he fell into a silence similar to that when he had previously agreed to let him enter the palace.

“The Faded One, Lann,” a voice came from behind the curtain after a long while, “Actually, besides the merits you mentioned to everyone today, I had heard of your name long ago.”

The voice from behind the curtain was different from the voice of the Blessed King that came from behind the sealing light screen of the two fingers.

But thinking about it, it's understandable. Since the King of Blessings doesn't want to see anyone, it's not impossible for him to disguise his voice.

Lan En remained silent, simply standing outside the Queen's boudoir.

According to his analysis, since the Prince of Cifu has been hiding behind a curtain and has not wanted to see anyone since his ascension to the throne, if he were to rashly close the distance at this time, it might actually make the Prince of Cifu more alert and wary.

It seemed that Lan En's silence and composure gave the Blessed King a sense of stability, so he continued speaking.

“Your loyalty to Two Fingers is the basis for my entry into the palace. It’s a matter of trust.”

Lan En thought to himself that this was not necessarily true, but on the surface, he had no objection and simply continued to listen.

"I've also heard that you seem to be getting quite close to a perfumer named Torisha?" Before Lan En could answer, he continued, "Do you know that this perfumer also supports and helps quite a few Sons of the Ominous?"

Why would the mighty King Rhodes mention such a minor character as the Son of Ominous Omens at this time?
Although the sons of evil omens are generally strong and healthy due to atavism, they are completely outmatched in the current borderlands in terms of quantity, quality, and organization.

They belong to a group of people who have no influence whatsoever.

The only thing it can bring is being disliked.

Lan En didn't know what the Blessed King meant by saying "son of the ominous sign" at this moment, but after frowning slightly, he still expressed his own thoughts.

"Children of ominous signs... I have no opinion of them, Your Majesty."

"They are simply because they have too many horns, and those horns naturally attract spiritual energy, causing people to worry that their souls will be trapped in those horns and unable to reincarnate."

"But really, as long as I don't get hurt by those horns, what harm can they do? And why should I care about them?"

"Torissa is a kind perfumer. It was because of this view that, while helping the hybrids, she also took care of a few sons of ominous signs. I think they haven't done anything wrong under Torissa's supervision, right?"

Some time ago, the children of ominous signs retrieved weapons thrown down from the sewers by the demigod alliance outside the city. They then surged up into the royal city from the sewers, causing considerable damage and riots.

“They certainly didn’t. Your perfumer friend is very good at comforting people.” The Blessed King said, moving out from behind the curtain. “And your attitude toward this is the second reason I let you into the palace.”

A demigod, half a body taller than Lan En, walked on the stone floor of the Queen's boudoir.

Even the Witcher couldn't help but have his pupils contract and his mouth slightly open.

(End of this chapter)