Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 2022 1994. The Golden Tree... Rejecting Everything

"Is the Blessed King... the son of an ominous sign?"

It's no wonder Lan En was shocked and muttered something.

Standing before him was a strange man covered in horns.

Horns can grow on any part of the body, including the head, face, shoulders, heels, and calves.

Dull skin and abundant body hair.

It dragged a thick, fleshy tail behind it, which looked like the twisted and mixed flesh of several animals, with hair, scales, keratin, and chitin.

He was wearing only a tattered cloak and was leaning on a hard burlwood cane.

This is a complete and utterly ominous sign! And the most severe kind of ominous sign at that!
Lan En's shock was relatively mild, considering he was a true outsider from another world, an outsider as far as the eye could see. He was still in the process of learning more about the customs and rules rooted in this land.

If a proper local from the Golden Dynasty were to witness this scene, it would be perfectly normal for them to have a mental breakdown on the spot, shouting, yelling, and actually rushing up to kill the Blessed King.

Clearly, the Blessed King himself knew how terrifying his true identity was in the Golden Dynasty, and Lan En's shocked reaction was so 'weak' that it made him quite gratified.

What pleased him even more was that the faded person before him, whose amber cat eyes had lost their blessed golden light, immediately regained their composure after a brief moment of shock.

"Is this... why you're unwilling to meet with other people?"

“Not everyone shares your perspective, Lann.” The Blessed King, leaning on his burlwood cane, walked up to Lann and looked down at him, a friendly expression on his strange, ugly face. “You can call me Mongot.”

As he spoke, he instead looked Lan En up and down: "You have such an understanding of the Son of the Omen, you truly deserve to be called a veteran of the Faded One. A figure who rose to fame before the Golden Law era. It's a pity that time has buried too many things, I haven't heard of your name much."

Before the Golden Law was revealed to the world, people's malice towards the Son of the Ominous was far less than it is now. Lann's statement seems very 'old-fashioned' today.

It belongs to the kind of 'old' that is at least thousands of years old.

“Ha,” Lan En chuckled in agreement, “I’m not entirely sure myself.”

As he spoke, he tapped his temple.

This alludes to the opinions of the former Faded Ones regarding him: the Eternal Queen's stripping of the blessing had been too much of a shock to his mind.

Montgomery fully accepted this suggestion, even though the Witcher never explicitly admitted to it.

"Losing the blessing is the greatest torment. Even the eyes of a bastard will gleam with gold."

As he spoke, Montgomery gestured to the side with the hand that wasn't holding his cane, indicating that Lann should come with him.

The Blessed King personally led the Witcher through the Queen's boudoir and toward the platform above the palace.

That platform is where the palace can directly access the Golden Tree.

On particularly important times and occasions, it was also the place where the King of Elden and the demigods held political discussions.

“Since I became King of Rodel with the support of the Two Fingers of the Round Table, you are the first person to have met me without having pledged allegiance to me, Lann.”

As he led Lann to the highest platform, Mongot chatted casually with the Witcher.

Lan En's expression remained calm, but he knew the truth in his heart.

Montgomery first pointed out that his rise to power was due to the strong support of the Two Fingers of the Round Table, who in turn were the direct masters of the Faded Ones.

Their positions and directions were consistent, at least as long as the two fingers of the round table were still supporting him.

On the other hand... only those who are loyal to him have seen his true face.

So, even those important figures who originally held high positions in the Golden Dynasty were not really trusted by this Blessed King?
"You want me to pledge allegiance?"

Lan En didn't mince words and asked directly.

Mongot, who was leading him up the stairs, paused for a moment, but immediately recovered.

“You’re very direct, Lann.” His voice was deep and powerful; disregarding his appearance, it was indeed the voice of a king. “I do need power, the power of many people, the power of those who can face my identity directly without resorting to hysteria.”

"We have won the Battle of Rodel, but I believe you can see that this battle is far from over. We have only won the first battle."

Mongot didn't stop walking, but his upper body twisted around as he looked at the Witcher amidst the squeak of the keratin on his skin.

"Rakad fled back to the volcano mansion, while his brother is still rushing to get there day and night. The Moon Princess killed her own body, but no one knows exactly what she wants to do with her soul."

"You've appeased the Valkyries of the Sacred Tree, keeping them outside the city and inactive, but who can guarantee this situation won't last?"

“Faded Ones, isn’t it time for you to carry out the will of the Two Fingers of the Round Table?”

“My Night Riders have been deployed to various passes along the border. They are my eyes and ears, and when necessary, they are also my hands to strangle traitors. But now, traitors are coming in droves, and I need more and stronger ‘hands’.”

Mongot's eyes, hidden behind many roots and horns, were filled with fervor and determination. No one could doubt the love and devotion of this King of Rhodes, the son of an ominous sign, to the Golden Dynasty and the Golden Tree.

After all, the Golden Dynasty had so persecuted the Son of Evil, yet he was now doing everything in his power to protect the capital.

Despite this ardent gaze, Lan En remained unmoved.

“You want the Faded Ones to support your cause more deeply,” the Witcher said with a hint of reminder. “Shouldn’t you give Twofinger a heads-up beforehand? After all, if Twofinger gives the word, we’ll naturally follow it.”

“Of course,” Mongot said, turning his upper body back around as he mentioned it. “I will certainly bring this up with Twofinger, but I think a hero like you is a good role model.”

His tone was firm and composed: "In any case, I will eventually become the King of Elden."

No, he won't tell Twofinger.

Following behind Mongot, Lann had already made his judgment. Turning away from me and repeatedly emphasizing that he would "bring it up"... this Blessed King must be a very powerful demigod, intelligent, resolute, and shrewd.

However, he was ultimately a child of ill omen, likely unable to bear the light of day from a young age. Consequently, he lacked experience in concealing things from others and lying to them.

He didn't want to ask Twofinger for people directly, especially not heroic figures like the Faded Ones.

It seems that while he was coordinating the defense of Rodel, he was also keeping an eye on the Two Fingers of the Round Table?
But why would someone who's wary of the two fingers of the round table extend an olive branch to me?

Is it because I also have a conflict with my two fingers?
But I didn't even know that myself!
Or……

Lan En watched the departing figure of the Blessed King, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Based on information obtained from Montgomery's perspective, he believed that I and Doublefinger were bound to have a disagreement.

Both Shuangzhi and he have things they haven't told me.

In just a few words, Lan En had already made many predictions and contingency plans with Mentos in his mind.

But in the process, the steps have already been completed.

Looking out from these steps, you can see a golden expanse, making the entire Rodel area beautiful and magnificent.

Meanwhile, Mongot stood before the towering archway at the end of the stairs, stopping to speak to Lann.

Unlike his previous enthusiasm and determination, the King of Blessing's words were now filled with an indescribable desolation, even though he was now closer to the Golden Tree.

“You need to be prepared, Blue the Faded One,” he said softly.

What do I need to prepare?

Lan En was puzzled. His most pessimistic thought about the Golden Tree was that it had been greatly damaged during Queen Marika's shattering of the rings.

After all, this big tree is still standing strong for now.

However, Mongot was not as optimistic as Lann; a smile appeared on his lips.

But the smile contained no joy or ease, only bitterness.

“You’ll see when you get there, Lann the Faded. You’ll know… we’ve long been abandoned.”

Already...abandoned?
What is he saying?
Lan En couldn't understand the sentence, but he immediately realized that his hand was being tightly gripped by the soul girl beside him.

Although they immediately let go, this further demonstrates that the action of clenching hands was an unconscious instinct.

Without saying anything more, Montgomery showed no intention of going up with them.

So Lann walked past the Blessed King and went straight to the highest platform that connected directly to the trunk of the Golden Tree.

The platform offers a panoramic view; the massive platform is carved with patterns of tree patterns and the Golden Law, and is surrounded by intricate wood fragments.

In the center is a wooden throne, facing the entrance archway.

In the same direction as the archway, opposite the throne, are seats equal in number to those of the demigods.

Silence reigned, and Lan En's eyes were filled with the golden tree trunk, a semi-energy entity that filled the heavens and earth, on the other side of the platform.

The golden tree is so magnificent that even the small section that directly contacts the platform is at least a hundred meters wide.

Within this contact width, the semi-energy body of the Golden Tree takes on the form of solid wood.

The xylem stands upright on the trunk, resembling a crack leading to the heart of the tree.

"Wow~"

A flash of blue light appeared, and Melina materialized, her right eye staring blankly and heavily at the crack in the golden tree as she walked forward.

Lan En, however, lagged behind.

Although Mongot seemed to have lost interest in following along, this was, after all, the Golden Tree.

Just in case, Lan En walked behind Melina, using his body to shield her from the gaze that the Blessed King might cast from behind.

On the highest platform, behind the throne, the Golden Dynasty built another staircase leading upwards into the interior of the Golden Tree.

Lann noticed that Melina's steps became heavier the higher she climbed.

"Melina?"

Lan En called the soul girl's name softly, but she did not respond.

At this point, even a fool like Lan En would realize that the so-called 'mission' she was talking about was definitely not something that would be easy and enjoyable once it was completed.

On the contrary, it must have been extremely heavy for the girl, who had remained indifferent and calm since meeting Lan En, to hesitate like this.

But just as Lan En was about to step forward and grab Melina, the girl's steps suddenly became lighter.

But contrary to her footsteps, her voice was filled with astonishment.

"The Golden Tree... rejected everything?!"

Lan En looked up and saw that at the end of the steps, the wood of the golden tree seemed to have sprouted countless thorns, growing outwards in a targeted manner.

In the void before the thorns, a golden light and shadow, resembling a slanted grid, floated there for a long time.

(End of this chapter)