Bear School Astartes

”It’s a bit unbelievable.”

Lann looked at the red-haired female warlock in front of him and tilted his head.

”Not to mention anyone making ’the fearless Merigold’ hide away, just the title of Temerian Royal Magic Consultant... anyone in the Northern Kingdoms wanting to trouble you would surely think twice, right?”

”Normally, of course, that’s the case... huh, normally.” Triss reluctantly withdrew her hand from Lann’s palm.

If she kept up the physical contact, she doubted how long her legs could support her, given that they were already a bit wobbly.

The flushed face of the female warlock, she pushed her burgundy hair behind her ear and sighed.

”If someone maliciously tries to make trouble, I’d surely make them know how to respect others right then and there.”

”But if that person has a legitimate reason, even following procedures and rules to come after me, then my title actually ties my hands.”

Always portrayed as ’open, strong, unfettered’ in public opinion, the female warlock certainly couldn’t be truly unfettered.

Triss when around Lann was clingy and enticing, but hearing the first half of her sentence, anyone causing her trouble would immediately see the female warlock’s fiery nature.

Yet, since she enjoyed the power of Temerian Royal Advisor, she naturally had to endure the constraints of the position.

A female warlock can cast spells on people due to their temper, as everyone knows the style of a female warlock.

But with status and position, where’s the right to throw tantrums arbitrarily?

”It’s the Holy Hall Council.”

Mentioning this name again, Triss sighed, appearing entirely troubled.

And Lann raised an eyebrow, quickly piecing together the situation.

Sure enough, Triss’s subsequent complaints confirmed Lann’s speculation.

”The Holy Hall Council keeps coming at me, the White Rose Knight Order submitted a lawsuit to them, accusing us of our actions in the Ponta River Valley.”

The female warlock counted on her fingers for Lann to see.

”First, ’the Embers Knights arrived in Elrand Duchy but did not follow etiquette to meet Duke of Erland and declare their identity.’ Then ’concealing their identity and infiltrating Duke of Erland’s troops.’

”Finally, ’killing five registered White Rose Knights and seizing command of the troops.’”

”They can’t find you, also at odds with Airetusa, not entering Gos Velen at all. What else can they do? Just keep pestering me here in Vizima.”

The Holy Hall Council, responsible for managing Knight Orders affairs within Temeria.

Since the founders and members of Knight Orders are predominantly nobles or noble descendants, naturally, such armed organizations require an agency to coordinate.

All countries abide by such rules.

This agency managing the Knight Orders wields considerable power; Duke Seward of Elrand allocated land to the White Rose Knights to enlist them, making them land-owning knights.

The contributions to the Holy Hall Council were indeed plentiful.

The Holy Hall Council not only holds the power to allocate lands to Knight Order members but also maintains many codes of conduct.

Like what Lann previously led ten Embers Knights doing within Elrand’s territory, it’s indeed against the rules.

Leading an organized armed group into a territory requires notifying the local lord; otherwise, who knows your intentions?

But it’s not of great consequence, as Lann was invited by Veltrest to address issues in the Ponta River Valley.

It’s already like notifying the King, and upon arrival, finding the local lord at odds with you, might as well skip the meeting - not without precedent.

Whether to pursue matters small or large depends mostly on whether they wish to pursue them.

Moreover, amidst the urgency, the Embers Knight Order indeed executed five White Rose Knights akin to a purge, then proceeded to take command.

”Breaking a matter into three steps, counting each step separately, then we end up with triple the offenses?”

Lann faced Triss’s conveyed news with calm indifference, even sounding a bit bored.

”They probably just want to annoy us, why else use such a boring tactic?”

”Veltrest ordered the Holy Hall Council to supply this place’s materials; even a slight diminishment wasn’t dared.”

The Embers Knight Order, after the Battle of Sodden Mountain, operated under ’Sintra Expeditionary Order,’ affiliating with Temerian Sanctuary Council.

The current castles and material supplies as allocated under this system to the Embers Knights.

Triss shared the same thoughts.

The Holy Hall Council didn’t even skimp on the Embers Knights’ daily supplies, not even symbolically impeding transport processes, indicating that from their perspective, this issue is merely a stance.

They even approached Triss in the Vizima Palace for expression, rather than directly confronting the Embers Knights at High Hill Castle.

”That’s why I came out here to avoid people.”

The female warlock spread her hands.

”I can’t avoid meeting the council members; they didn’t say anything harsh when they came, but they do occupy time by insisting on staying with me. Of course, that old man thought I didn’t notice the way he was looking at me.”

”Usually, you don’t see this council so concerned about conflicts between knight orders.”

”I think it’s the White Rose Knight Order; maybe they’ve put in a lot of effort at the council for the honor of their knight order this time.”

”The White Rose Knight Order,” Lann mentioned the name again, but he frowned slightly and pondered. ”Were they very reactive and intense?”

”How could they not be intense?” Triss looked at Lann in disbelief, seemingly unable to believe he would ask such a question. ”You stomped their knight order’s honor into the mud!”

”You executed their knights like that and still expect them not to retaliate?”

The demon hunter scratched his head, without saying anything.

But Lann thought: With the Embers Knight Order on the battlefield of Sodden Mountain, I’ve crushed countless knight orders directly, yet never saw them dare to face me again and talk of ’retaliation’.

When shattered on the battlefield, there’s no reaction, who knows why they’re ’jeopardized honor’ after executing a few knights?

But on the other hand, although Lann couldn’t quite relate to the mindset of these magical medieval knight orders, he could objectively understand it.

’Insult’ equals ’deadly enemy’, after all, this equation has appeared in many times and places.

And, on the other hand, the prevailing faith within the White Rose Knight Order seems to be... Eternal Fire?

Thinking of this, Lann looked thoughtfully out beyond the castle wall.

High Hill Castle was built with military purposes, unlike the castle styles built by great nobles for tradition and comfort with residential manor designs.

The main structure of the castle was built with large stone blocks, and instead of windows with shutters, there were more wide-open narrow shooting slits.

Cold in winter and hot in summer, but convenient for combat and observation.

Looking out from the narrow shooting slits, the unpopulated, overgrown terrain of the Velen Region due to difficult development could be seen beneath the mountain.

At a glance, even with Lann’s eyesight, he couldn’t see traces of human activity.

The abundant biological activity had left too many traces.

For example, far away from the small hill on which High Hill Castle sits, clusters of harpies were still circling a hillock.

’In this ghostly place of Velen, monsters outnumber humans,’ apart from near Gos Velen, this phrase is likely correct.

”I’ve heard.” Triss said seriously as she looked at Lann, ”When you arrived, you found someone watching this place?”

”That’s really chilling, but don’t worry, now in this cramped little castle there’s a powerful female warlock... hold on.”

Halfway through speaking with a mix of smugness and teasing, the female warlock suddenly looked up, catching sight of the demon hunter who was thoughtfully observing outside the castle wall through the observation slit.

”The matter you just asked me about, don’t tell me you think... the people watching here are the White Rose Knight Order?”

”I just connected the dots now.” Lann didn’t deny this idea. ”The Eternal Fire Church, in recent years, their promotional direction has become more and more radical, it’s hard to say how many zealots are now in the White Rose Knight Order.”

Originally, the Eternal Fire Church was an inclusive and gentle faith, but in increasingly chaotic and brutal times, radical beliefs are the ones that most attract people.

So much so that nowadays, the Eternal Fire has become an outright extreme radical church.

They produce zealots, zealots funnel back to the church, the situation is getting increasingly out of control like a runaway horse.

”Zealots...” The mere mention of the word made Triss have a headache, she covered her forehead, ”But after all, they’re an officially registered knight order of the council! How dare they secretly dispatch troops for combat?”

”Honor maniacs, religious maniacs, or simply both types combined into one... I think the atmosphere in the White Rose Knight Order fits the birth of such characters, doesn’t it?”

Triss was troubled, while Lann chuckled softly with sarcasm.

”Moreover, if they really beat the Embers Knights, do you think the Holy Hall Council would actually punish them?”

”More likely they’d get a light punishment but a big reward, perhaps fined an amount not too high or low, then maybe Seward’s long-time sought knightly estate would be quietly given to them?”

The Embers Knight Order fought its way to be a top-tier knight order through war, thus no participant country can’t recognize it.

And if within Temeria there’s a knight order that could break High Hill Castle, the council wouldn’t jump up in displeasure, surely.

Whether the hard power meets the mark can be set aside, their reputation must be firmly upheld first.

”But they don’t know you’re here now.”

Triss glanced at the demon hunter beside her, speaking without much concern.

”They probably think you’re tied up at Sandy Island and can’t free yourself to know what’s happening here?”