Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 2065 2037. The Reasons for the Betrayal

The Black Knights were supposed to be the backbone of the Holy War Army.

In fact, when they first arrived in the Shadowlands to fight for the Golden Dynasty and Queen Marika, they were indeed as their role suggested: indispensable to the Holy War Army and terrifyingly powerful in the eyes of the Horned People.

“However,” Leilana calmly recounted the past rebellion as she walked along the path of the Shadow Altar, “during the expedition, the Queen herself sealed the entire land, and we witnessed the separation of the Shadow Tree and the Golden Tree. The Age of Abundance vanished in an instant. Even the strongest warriors in the borderlands would inevitably waver under such circumstances, and no one can blame them.”

The road to the Shadow Altar is in a state of disrepair, quite different from the Altar Plateau at the border.

The Golden Dynasty has only just collapsed, and the infrastructure around the capital city of Rodel has not yet deteriorated too much.

However, although there is a main city of the Shadowlands—Shadow City—on the Shadow Altar, this entire continent has been abandoned for far too long. Not to mention, it has also been attacked by the Holy War Army.

On the plains, ruined village sites and crumbling stone relics were everywhere as they traveled.

This scene can hardly be described as tragic, given that these ruins were destroyed a very long time ago. All that remains here is solitude and emptiness.

"Even so, the Black Knights remained loyal to the Holy War Army and Messermo at the time. They believed that Queen Marika's sealing of the Shadowlands along with them was a great sacrifice and a test of faith... In fact, that was all they could think at the time."

Apart from Qilin and Rongbuqiu, everyone present expressed their understanding after hearing Leilana's story. People often force themselves to believe in something in order to survive sudden upheavals and difficulties.

It allows one to feel that they have made a noble sacrifice, which in turn generates a stronger sense of mission and sublimity amidst hardship. This is a common phenomenon in faith.

This is why the Jihad Army is called the Jihad Army.

They were all of one mind: only with a deeper faith could they persevere and avoid a mental breakdown.

“But,” Lann suddenly interjected, “the Black Knights still betrayed us. Why? Because of those impalement punishments?”

Leilana turned to look at Lann and suddenly said, "You seem to think those actions were too cruel, which is why the Black Knights couldn't stand them?"

But before Lan En could answer, she shook her head dismissively: "It seems you're still very young, Lan En. But you'll understand when we get to Shadow City."

Since the advent of the Golden Age, it has become difficult for people in the borderlands to judge a person's age by their appearance.

It seems that Leilana made this judgment based on what Lan En revealed in his words.

Just as the Golden Tree stands tall on the Altar Plateau, the Shadow Tree takes root in the Shadow Altar.

At the end of their path, the ruins and relics on both sides were no longer visible, but a magnificent, dark city stood there.

Beyond the city walls, the taller, more imposing, and twisted Shadow Trees looked down upon everything.

An illusory curtain hangs from the treetops to the sky in all directions. After being obscured by the dark clouds and the curtain, the sunlight that can penetrate and shine on the shadowy areas becomes gloomy and heavy.

The chilling sunlight mirrored the tone of Leilana's voice at that moment.

"They did not rebel out of despair because they were trapped in the Shadowlands. As I said, this matter ended with the expeditionary force becoming the holy war force."

"What led them to rebel... was Messermo's 'serpentine' nature."

Lann glanced sideways at Melina, who was riding on Torret's back. When she heard Leilana's last words, her hand holding the reins suddenly tightened.

According to Leilana, the symbol of Messermo is a snake, and it's quite complex.

Messermo is also someone who has attracted the [wise beasts] around him and has the potential to become a king.

The intelligent beast he attracted was a winged serpent.

In border regions, snakes are the most obscene and vile symbols. But the winged serpent is different; it is a friend with positive wisdom who can provide guidance.

It could be said that Messermo, symbolized by the winged serpent, wasn't actually that bad off at the beginning.

It wasn't until the Shadowlands, after the expeditionary force became the Holy War, that Andros, the leader of the Black Knights, discovered the true power of Messermo.

The winged serpent is an intelligent beast attracted to Mesmer, and he can indeed use the power of the winged serpent. Therefore, to onlookers, it is perfectly normal for Mesmer to use the [Mesmer's Fire], which can be as flexible and serpentine as a snake.

But beneath that winged serpent's appearance lies something truly deadly—the [Evil Serpent].

Compared to the intelligent beasts that are drawn to him, the evil serpent is the true essence of Messermo's power.

Unlike the winged serpent, which represents positive wisdom, the evil serpent is simply the kind of serpent that the people of the borderlands traditionally despise and loathe.

No one would have imagined that Messermo's essential power, as the son of Queen Marika, would be such a filthy thing.

And Andros went even further: Was their banishment by the Queen to the borderlands because of Messermo, the leader of the legion, whose presence disgusted the Queen?

This is logically difficult to explain, since Messermo is the true son of a queen and has been with Queen Marika since childhood. Others would not be able to see the true nature of his power because of the winged serpent disguise.

Before the winged serpent arrived, couldn't the queen see clearly?
She didn't get rid of this son when he was a child, but now she can't accept him? There's no such saying.

However, having already transformed into a holy army amidst the dangers and hardships of the Shadowlands, Andros and a large group of Black Knights, essentially driven mad, no longer reasoned. Sometimes, they simply sought an enemy to blame for their predicament.

Many of the Black Knights, who were originally the backbone of the Legion, betrayed the Legion and fought another major battle in the Shadowlands.

And this idea has taken root in the hearts of many people.

The three black knights who were previously blocked outside the door by the mountain knights were probably influenced by this kind of thinking, which is why they came to assassinate Mesmer's wife.

The Black Knight who made the final move was originally supposed to be a loyalist, but after hearing that Lan En and his group came from the border region, he was blinded by a glimmer of hope and made up his mind while leading the way, thus becoming a rebel as well.

Leilana did not hide the power of Messermo.

After all, the rebellion had caused quite a stir, and it was basically common knowledge.

When discussing those bloody rebellions, Leilana's tone was remarkably calm, or rather, numb.

She was a highly talented warrior in the Kalia royal family and a seasoned veteran in the borderlands.

But there is no doubt that her years in the Shadowlands had taken a toll on her spirit.

He was so taciturn that his speech was dry and stuttering, which is why he stopped fighting as soon as he saw the Holy Moonlight Sword in Lan En's hand.

Although the moonlight was unfamiliar, in her eyes it was a trace of her family who had appeared in the Shadow Land.

Upon approaching Shadow City, Lan En discovered that Shadow City, like Rodel, was situated on the edge of a cliff.

However, the cliffs below Rodel are where the Golden Trees take root. And the cliffs beside Shadow City are where the Shadow Trees take root.

Shadow City doesn't have walls like Rodel's; it's more like a giant castle.

The city gate was desolate and quiet, and there wasn't even a gatekeeper.

Leilana seemed to have long been accustomed to this desolation, calmly leading Lan En and the others further inside.

Upon entering the gate, just like the exterior of Shadow City, there was a gloomy black wall.

The city gate hall was tall and large, almost giving the impression of an empty theater.

The hall was surrounded by weapon racks, but they appeared to have been the site of a fierce battle, with many racks smashed to pieces and spears scattered all over the floor, which looked like the spears used for impalement.

A large section of the stone floor was also broken, with the cracks between the stones pressing against each other and warping, forming uneven cross-sections.

These floor cracks caused ankle-deep seepage throughout the hall.

The seeping cold air shrouded the surroundings in a hazy mist.

There were no torches, not even candlelight, and no one around.

“Wow,” Margarita forced a smile, “the haunted castles I’ve read about in horror storybooks are much more exciting than this.”

"A horror storybook?" Torina floated beside Lann, her alabaster face filled with anticipation as she looked at the Witcher. "Are there really such books? I want to see them!"

Lan En thought to himself, "Where would I find such a thing right now?" So he could only look at the Sleeping Saintess with a reassuring gaze.

To others, he simply glanced at the air around him for no apparent reason.

The cold mist was deep and hazy, but the heavy, solid sound of footsteps wading through water came from the depths of the hall.

Leilana walked up to the crowd with the air of a castle mistress and raised her hand to stop the people behind her from drawing their swords in preparation.

Although Shadow City is a city of the Holy War Army, it's hard to believe they have any real control over the castle.

A beast the size of an African elephant emerged from the cold mist.

It looks like a rhinoceros, after all, it has a long head and a golden rhinoceros horn on its nose.

However, when its mouth is open, the internal structure and teeth resemble a hippopotamus, making it difficult to know what this thing should be called.

However, Lan En, who has been studying the [Cream of a Hundred Elephants Prayer] recently, sensed a similar power within it.

If one possesses the power of a furnace, then this mixture of biological characteristics becomes entirely understandable.

The Golden Hippo's shoulder height is almost the same as the Twin Moon Knight's height.

When it first appeared, it was quite imposing, with the warped cobblestones clattering beneath its feet.

However, upon seeing Leilana, it seemed to recognize their enmity, and its pace slowed down. Its small, golden eyes glanced around calmly before turning and disappearing back into the cold mist.

(End of this chapter)