Bear School Astartes

His casual tone left everyone except Triss a bit perplexed.

However, considering his personality, these exaggerated things were actually quite acceptable.

”But I got other news from the Mud Gang.”

Lann said to Dudu.

”A Temple Guard is looking for you, Dudu.”

”Temple Guard? Looking for me?”

Dudu repeated, appearing confused and surprised.

But Lann, who delivered the news, was also surprised.

He was surprised because Dudu, this cautious to the point of timid shapeshifter, did not show any fear upon hearing this news.

The Temple Guard is the armed force of the Eternal Fire in Novigrad, adhering to increasingly radical doctrines and likely to become even more radical in the foreseeable future.

They hate monsters, discriminate against non-human races, and perhaps in the future will also hate all users of Chaos Magic Power.

For non-human races, out of compromise for city development, they might not go too far against city residents.

But for monsters like shapeshifters...

”Come on, let me hear what news it is.”

Dudu’s Half-Elf big feet paced back and forth on the wooden floor.

”Sir Lann, please speak.”

”The person looking for you is named Ritu Mangi, a leader of the Temple Guard. He used his administrative authority to require the Mud Gang to cut off their dealings with you, to ruin your business.”

Lann reclined on the chair back, narrating the information he obtained.

”He emphasizes that what’s important is capturing you, not the money. So I think this guy is not an ordinary official trying to extort you, but is after something else.”

”Ritu Mangi? Cale Mangi’s brother? The Mangi Brothers?!”

Before Dudu could react, Dandelion exclaimed in surprise.

Geralt asked in a deep voice, ”Do you know this person? Sounds like these brothers are quite famous in Novigrad?”

”Famous, yes, but it’s not a good kind of fame.”

Dandelion walked behind Lann and Geralt’s chairs, propping on the chair back to speak to the two Demon Hunters.

”These brothers are fanatical believers in the doctrine of the Eternal Fire, extremely fanatical... you can probably imagine what that’s like.”

Lann and Geralt exchanged a glance.

Both of them had roamed the continent as Demon Hunters and witnessed plenty of racial persecution and mutual killings.

And they knew well what kind of people the fanatics of the Eternal Fire were.

Dandelion continued to describe.

”No one knows whether the brothers truly believe in the doctrine, or if they pretend to be devout believers to climb up within the cult. Either way, it makes no difference to the outcome.”

”To demonstrate their piety, many people have died under their cruel means with nothing left to say.”

”Just last month, they conducted an execution. A Half-Elf woman was accused of casting a black magic curse on her neighbor. They didn’t even bring in a professional to look into it, swiftly went through the trial process, and ultimately hanged that poor woman on the gallows.”

”I think it was just because the woman’s neighbor was angry they couldn’t drag the Half-Elf into bed, so they falsely reported the case out of rage and humiliation.”

Dandelion introduced the Mangi Brothers as if announcing the entrance of some major villain in a play.

Originally, Dudu wasn’t very scared, but now he swallowed.

Yet he still managed to pull a difficult curve with the corner of his mouth.

”They are looking for me, it shouldn’t be that terrifying, right? After all, I have friends in the Temple Guard, don’t I?”

”You?” Triss asked in surprise, sitting on the bed, ”A shapeshifter, or your Half-Elf identity, have friends in the Temple Guard?”

”Yes, and they hold quite a high position.” Geralt said in a deep voice.

”It’s also someone we all know... Temple Guard Commander, Shapeler.”

Triss and Priscilla almost gasped the moment this name was mentioned in the room.

The Temple Guard Commander’s notorious reputation was widespread.

Rumor has it that he and his men often carry a type of whip, known as the Lamia Whip.

During the leather crafting process, these whips are mixed with iron spikes and barbs, and many cities and countries explicitly prohibit possessing and carrying such whips.

Novigrad is among them, yet Shapeler and his men openly hang these coiled Lamia Whips on the belt buckles at their waists.

The wounds caused by these whips, even after healing, are unforgettable at a mere glance by an ordinary person.

”Shapeler is not a priest, yet he holds the highest position of power in this city!”

Priscilla said, holding her hand over her mouth.

Even she, who performs in various places, has heard of this name.

”The most vicious and ruthless person in Novigrad, it’s said that even members of the city council and major guilds shiver when they see him. He’s intoxicated by power, like a spider is intoxicated by blood.”

”Disappearances without a trace, false accusations, torture, masked assassins popping out on the street, intimidation, extortion, theft, coercion... just listing what he’s done is dark enough!”

”But that’s old news.”

Dandelion spoke as if he were singing, with a relaxed tone.

”I can vouch that the current Shapeler is fair and kind, only hiding his beautiful heart under a guise of cruelty and venom because he has to manage that ragtag team of Temple Guards.”

”You vouch for the complex and unpredictable hearts of people?”

Priscilla’s sharp tongue matched Dandelion’s as she immediately retorted to the poet’s words.

”Sounds like you know him well.”

Dandelion opened his mouth but didn’t rashly retort back.

Geralt also tilted his head to look at Dudu while nodding towards Priscilla.

Dudu nodded, ”Go ahead, Geralt, Dandelion. There’s nothing that can’t be said. Even though I couldn’t win over this lady, I do know her a bit. She’s a kind and tolerant woman, free of malice and prejudice against non-human races.”

With Dudu’s assurance, Dandelion continued speaking.

”Of course, I know Shapeler, because the current Shapeler, the Commander of the Temple Guards of the Eternal Fire...”

”Wait.” Lann sat up straight from the back of his chair, ”He’s also a Shapeshifter?!”

”You got it right.”

Dandelion pointed at Lann with a ’you guessed it’ expression.

”In the first two months after we met Dudu, the real Shapeler died of a stroke, and now this Shapeler just became him. Shapeshifters are inherently kind, and he started looking out for Dudu, which is why Dudu could so easily obtain an identity in Novigrad.”

Everyone present, except the three who were in the know, was quite stunned.

No one expected that in the most radical, most prejudiced against non-human races Eternal Fire Church, the most radical and prejudiced Temple Guard unit... their commander turned out to be a Shapeshifter!

”So to me, this should be no big deal, Shapeler can sort it out with a word. They are his subordinates, aren’t they?”

Dandelion said matter-of-factly.

Dudu also felt a bit more at ease under the poet’s reassurance.

Yet, after Lann received the new information, he pondered slightly, then promptly brought Dudu’s relaxed mind back to alert.

”Which means... the Mangji Brothers might have started suspecting Shapeler’s identity as a Shapeshifter.”

Dudu’s body jerked, looking at Lann in horror.

”After all, Dudu Bieberwitt’s identity intersects very little with Shapeler’s identity, at least publicly, very little.”

”You two are both Shapeshifters, so instead you don’t let your identities openly interact much because you’re both very cautious.”

”But a notorious Temple Guard commander still targeted you; not for money, industries, or stocks, just you personally.”

With the help of Mentos in his mind, Lann quickly sorted out the relationships, even making a relationship diagram out of it.

”Dandelion said it should be easy for Shapeler to handle this, but in my opinion... the Mangji Brothers likely went after Shapeler from the start.”

”Shapeler’s power comes from the Temple Guards of the Eternal Fire; even as a commander, he can’t change the nature of this unit, which is: a force loyal to the Eternal Fire Church and its doctrine.”

”Once his identity as a Shapeshifter is confirmed... no, even if just his identity as a non-human race is confirmed, his powers would vanish in an instant, and it would turn against him.”

”Being the commander of a unit and being able to fully control it are two different concepts.”

Lann spoke calmly, but his words made the previously less tense Dudu anxious again.

Dandelion also opened his mouth, speechless.

The poet had seen many power struggles but undoubtedly, his insights and perspectives hadn’t penetrated the core of power structures.

Poetically thinking, power shifts were due to desires or impulses of the heart, or some vague expression like that.

But in Lann’s educated worldview, the operation of power was a tangible, material process.

Traceable, and followed an internal logic.

He could understand this logic, and if he wanted, he could even play it well.

Though Lann didn’t intend to belittle Dandelion’s liberal arts degree, he believed: poetic expressions sometimes obstructed understanding of the real world.

”The Mangji Brothers want to investigate Shapeler!”

Dudu mumbled, profuse with cold sweat, stomping his big halfling feet on the wooden floor.

”I must... I must inform him! Yes! Inform him! As long as he knows, he can cope!”

”But if two people are starting to doubt him, it means more people secretly already find him abnormal.”

A cold white magical glow appeared on Lann’s left hand, using the [Yakxi Rune] to calm Dudu down.

”Shapeshifters are inherently kind, but what Shapeler did was enough to instill terror upon hearing. Having been in Shapeler’s role for so long, he probably hasn’t shown that cruel side to his subordinates and colleagues for a while, eventually, it would raise suspicion.”

”Rather than warning him now, you might as well advise him to leave Novigrad altogether.”