Bear School Astartes

The four people and two horses journeyed on the road, with Ciri guiding the way.

The three adults, including Lann, were amazed to find that even though Ciri had no idea where Brugge City was, she could always choose the right path at every crossing.

This guidance, which didn't rely on information or knowledge, made one fully realize the powerful effect of the so-called 'Ancient Blood.'

People tend to chat while on the road.

Geralt finally got the chance to ask the question that had been bothering him since last night at Dun Kanar.

"Old Aisne sees you differently, Lann."

Geralt started the conversation, and Ciri and Vesemir immediately looked at Lann, hoping he would satisfy their curiosity.

"She said, 'All creatures living on the material foundation of this world should thank you'... What does that mean? Besides that one 'Hunting Marquis,' do you have any other actions famous to such a degree? Why do we know nothing about it?"

Hooves clattered on the road; in the winter morning mist, everyone exhaled thick white smoke, obscuring their view of Lann's expression.

"I just drove away a monster."

The young man paused.

"With the help of several gods."

The atmosphere suddenly fell silent; Ciri was excited and surprised, while Vesemir's expression behind him was something Lann could not see.

But Geralt became straightforward upon hearing this news.

"Drove away a monster? With the help of gods? Hm... I must say, Lann. You are a Demon Hunter who can tell stories. With just a few words, you make people itch with curiosity, but at the same time, the story loses credibility."

The seasoned Demon Hunter Master who had traveled far and wide made this pronouncement.

"I've never seen a monster whose influence could envelop an entire city, let alone a country, and when Aisne described your achievements, she seemed inclined to drag all life into it. I've never seen such a monster."

"And help from 'gods'? When you talk about that, it makes me feel like I'm listening to Aisne tell me what 'fate' is."

"All such things are so elusive. I've seen villagers take the sudden croaking of frogs in the rain as divine revelations, and I've also seen those who live by the woods regard Deer Head Spirits as Forest Gods. I've been to the Meretelli Temple in Elrand, the center of the Meretelli faith, yet the High Priest there confessed to me that no miracles had ever occurred. It's just a group of good people gathered by doctrine to do good deeds."

"What? Was it Father of the Sky who helped you eliminate a world-threatening monster? Or was it Cliff, the incarnation of thunder and lightning? That sect is actually not very large."

Geralt spoke in rapid succession, while Lann calmly rode on his horse, never interrupting.

When Geralt finished, Lann asked in a plain tone.

"It seems you're done, Geralt. Now, I'm rather curious; discussing the existence of gods makes you far from your usual cold and rational demeanor, even a bit cynical... Do gods give you a bad feeling?"

"Most Demon Hunters have this flaw." Vesemir interjected from behind Lann.

"We've seen too many scenes of monsters harming others, and humans harming each other, so we unintentionally become cold and even scornful of those religious talks about gods. Because they always appear to be of little use and earn much more than we do."

Lann nodded, expressing acceptance of this explanation.

"If that's the case, then it could be considered an occupational hazard. But what I want to tell you is... Geralt, gods do exist, and monsters capable of destroying the world also exist."

"For example, the Aisne we met last night; she can be considered the Forest God of Brokilon. As long as the great forest remains, she will exist."

"So you're saying..." Geralt still resisted Lann's perspective, "A god, who watches as her children are slaughtered by surrounding countries, yet can do nothing?"

"If the armies of Videns and Brugge directly enter Brokilon, then as many as come in will die, and Aisne wouldn't care in the least. The real threat to Aisne isn't the military, but the farmers."

Lann was correcting Geralt's statement.

"Farmers never directly enter the great forest; they attack in vast numbers, like ants nibbling cookies, invading Brokilon from the outskirts. They cut trees for timber, set fires for arable land."

"Brokilon's area shrinks through this nibbling, and Aisne's power weakens. If I'm not mistaken, a century ago, the road we're on now was within the great forest."

"There are only so many Tree Spirits; they can't protect the forest all around. And to prevent virulent diseases from spreading within the forest, Aisne has mobilized the forest's Magic Power to provide Tree Spirits with extraordinary immunity. She's already too busy to spare herself."

"But does this mean she's just a mundane creature, Geralt? Admit it, in your long journey, you've probably encountered those things beyond the mundane; you've probably seen these existences."

At this point, the previously cynical Geralt suddenly fell silent.

Seated in front of him, Ciri excitedly raised her head, chirping away.

"You've seen it, Geralt? You've really seen gods? You were only silent because Lann was right, isn't that so?"

Geralt pursed his lips, turning his head aside in the face of Lann's smile.

Indeed, he'd seen some extraordinary existences, which had even saved both him and Dandelion.

Dana Meibi, the Goddess of the Wilderness and Flowers. Humans call her Laphia.

Close to ten years ago, he and the famous Minstrel roamed to the far east of the civilized world.

At the edge of the blue mountains, representing the boundary of the civilized world, they were attacked and captured by the elves from the mountains. Later, the Wilderness Goddess appeared, and after a telepathic exchange with the Elf King, she let the two go.

"Interesting indeed."

Lann smiled at Geralt's turned profile.

"Country farmers believe in anything they see, yet a true Demon Hunter who has seen traces of gods shows an attitude of rejection towards facts."

Ciri continued her excited exclamations, proclaiming that traveling with two people who had truly seen gods, she might also see gods in the future.

Vesemir remained silent; he was an old-school Demon Hunter who believed in seeing is believing and never showed his stance.

"Okay, I admit there are some extraordinary things in this world, but for you to say there's a monster that can threaten all life across the world and can still be killed by someone, I still can't believe it."

"Geralt, Geralt..."

Lann repeated the name in a chant-like tone.

"Your stubbornness can sometimes be rather endearing... Imagine a monster like this."

"Just a glance at it drives a person crazy, turning them into a Water Ghost. Ordinary people even go mad merely looking at those Water Ghosts. Physical attacks like crossbows and catapults are entirely ineffective, and magical spells like lightning and frost are completely immune. As long as there's a creature in this world mentioning its name, it won't die. If many creatures speak of it, it won't even be injured. How do you deal with such a monster?"

As Lann described, despite being far from the ocean, the other three seemed to smell a fishy sea breeze.

Ciri swallowed nervously, her earlier excitement about the gods having vanished.

For the little girl, the scariest monsters she'd heard of since birth were perhaps only the Scorpion-tailed Lion or the Great Griffin.

Only Geralt continued to be stubborn.

"So, how did you manage to get rid of that thing?"

Lann looked at Geralt curiously with a sidelong glance.

"'Get rid of'? When did I say that thing was dead?"

The other three shivered violently, looking at Lann in disbelief.

"I just drove it away, with the help of Aisne and many other gods, giving me the chance to expel it from this world."

Finishing this sentence, the three of them let out a long breath.

"Whew~" *3