Bear School Astartes

In the midst of everyone's confusion, Lann naturally struck up a conversation with the [Silver-Eyed Queen].

He took Aron Dite from his waist and propped it up with both hands in front of him.

"Forgive my presumptuousness, were you involved in the encirclement of that thing during early autumn?"

'That thing' referred to Da Gun.

To this day, Lann instinctively refrained from mentioning Da Gun's name in this world. To him, just saying the name from a mortal's mouth could still invite great trouble.

Who knows what other absurd things are in that world where even the Lady of the Lake didn't dare to let him take a glance.

Aisne easily understood the meaning in Lann's words.

She gracefully entered the room, with two bow-wielding tree spirits following closely behind.

"I contributed a bit, but nowhere near as much as the one who gave you that sword. After all, I can only mobilize the power of Brokilon, while there are still endless wildernesses and forests in this world, each with its own masters."

Lann lowered his head with deep respect.

He already understood Aisne's level, approximately equivalent to an Earth God confined within Brokilon, but also a queen among the tree spirits.

"Please don't bow, Lann. You have contributed to the safety of the entire world. In theory, everyone in this room should be bowing to you."

The two Demon Hunters, the knight lying on the bed, Ciri, and even the tree spirits in the room looked at Lann with disbelief.

Among them, the knight, whom Lann had positioned for care, showed guilt and fear in his eyes.

He only now realized that the hands capable of killing over two hundred people in a single night had just grabbed his shoulder and arm at close range, shaking them around.

He seemed to have cursed him at the time, even calling him 'kind gentleman'.

...Just thinking about it made cold sweat break out in an instant.

"Don't joke," the young Demon Hunter shook his head indifferently as he reattached the Lady of the Lake's Sword to his waist.

"Without your and the other...adults?' efforts, I wouldn't even be qualified to stand in front of that thing. Besides, it was only because I was the only suitable person there at that time. If it had been Geralt, it probably wouldn't have made any difference."

When choosing words to refer to the 'existences' that hunted Da Gun in the deeper realms of the world, Lann still found it headache-inducing.

From what can be seen so far, their components are too complex.

There's conceptual gods like the Lady of the Lake, natural gods like Dana Meibi who are indifferent to worldly matters, and interdimensional demons like Gant Odim... It's too challenging to find a collective name for these beings.

"There is no 'if' in this world, no 'what ifs'. You are the one who solved that thing, without a doubt."

The Silver-Eyed Queen spoke again with decisive authority.

"But I think you didn't come this time to discuss that unmentionable thing. It's not courteous as a host to involve other guests in a conversation where they can't interject, so let's end our discussion here."

The Tree Spirit Queen's proposal was gladly accepted by Lann.

So Aisne slightly shifted her gaze towards the other two Demon Hunters.

She also waved her hand, instructing Bryan to take Ciri out.

The young girl, having woken from the previously bewildering conversation, had tears welling in her emerald eyes like glistening glass, looking at Geralt and Lann.

But neither could refuse Aisne here.

No mortal could refuse Aisne in the Brooklion Forest.

"Quite a rarity, is it an arranged visit from old associates from the outside today? Vesemir and Geralt?"

"Greetings to you, Aisne, Queen of the Tree Spirits." *2

The master and apprentice of the Wolf School spoke in unison, making Lann wonder if Vesemir had given Geralt a specialized lesson.

"I came following Vesemir."

Geralt's voice was steady, with Vesemir following up immediately.

"I came on a mission."

Having found the main character, Aisne gave a stiff but sharp smile.

"Oh, that explains your recklessness, Vesemir. Entering Brokilon without notifying me is quite dangerous, even for you. I can imagine what your mission is... a persuader? Emissary? That's what you humans call this role."

"But Vesemir, I must reiterate that your actions are dangerous. The rule about not harming messengers is a human one; I do not abide by it. Tree spirits do not acknowledge human rules. The only reason you're still standing here with your apprentice is that the person accompanying you accomplished something great, which all of us who live on material foundation owe a debt to."

Vesemir's lips moved slightly, then returned to calm.

The old man had long understood that this world is full of unbelievable wonders and that seeking all mysteries on a personal scale is mere fantasy.

He had long become accustomed to encountering situations he couldn't comprehend and developed a strategy for dealing with them—

Eliminate the incomprehensible factors in the whole event, focusing on the factors he could address.

In simple terms: I know my own limits, too much for me to manage or even attempt.

"You should at least know who sent me, shouldn't you?"

Vesemir spoke cautiously.

"Honestly, I don't want to know. I have no reason to listen to a human, an envoy of a race whose thoughts and habits are completely different from mine—to listen to messages, proposals, or ultimatums. King Venceslav's thoughts have nothing to do with me."

Vesemir looked up in surprise.

"You knew it was he who sent me?"

"It's not hard to guess; among the surrounding kings, he's the only one who neither hates me enough nor is foolish enough."

"Then you should seize this opportunity to add friends for yourself and Brokilon, shouldn't you?"

"Are you joking, Vesemir?"

The Queen of the Tree Spirits cast an incredulous gaze with her silver eyes.

"Yes, King Venceslav is one of the few surrounding kings who is smart and doesn't hate tree spirits. But doesn't he purchase tree spirit scalps? Isn't his goal to occupy Brokilon's land, wood, and minerals, claiming legitimacy and pushing the tree spirits into the human protection zone?"

"Amidst a gang of fierce robbers, there's one who prays two words while stabbing, and you tell me to treat him as a friend? That's just too absurd."

Vesemir was left speechless.

In fact, to him, what humans intend to do to tree spirits is much worse than banditry.

Most bandits seek wealth, not lives.

But the human attitude towards tree spirits is... genocide, with a few survivors relocated to protection zones, treated like exhibit animals.

This isn't conjecture; it's what humans have done many times and continue to do.

In the northern continent's protected areas, Cat People bring significant tourism revenue.

And thanks to the racial characteristics of tree spirits, if they ever enter the protection zone, the human males' use for them will likely surpass mere observation.

After all, besides transforming human girls into their kind, tree spirits mostly expand their race by borrowing seeds from human males.