Bear School Astartes

Lann understood why he couldn’t use these magical things. According to Cassandra, it was because he hadn’t been ’recognized by the gods.’

So, does that mean there really are gods in this world? They created the Divine Artifacts and fragments, and then chose users for them?

That’s what Cassandra implied, but Lann always felt something wasn’t quite right.

”Here, catch.”

With a call, Lann took out the longbow he had obtained from An You’s corpse and tossed it to Cassandra.

The Hawk Trainer skillfully caught the longbow in mid-air. Sure enough, this weapon, which seemed ordinary in Lann’s hands, began to faintly glow with the green engravings on the bow’s body once it was in Cassandra’s hands, clearly in an active state.

Cassandra effortlessly drew the bowstring while looking at the Demon Hunter with astonishment.

”Where did you pull this bow from?”

Although the bow wasn’t heavy, carrying it would make it very conspicuous. Cassandra was certain she had never seen such a thing on Lann during all her observations of him.

Faced with Cassandra’s question, Lann merely shrugged. Cassandra, too, laughed it off and did not pursue the matter further.

She drew an arrow from her quiver, placed it on the bowstring, and slowly pulled it back to full draw.

The sea’s sunlight bathed her skin, and with the powerful motion of drawing the bow, her muscles shifted and bulged beneath her skin.

Her physique was both athletic and imbued with a sculptural divinity.

As the bowstring reached full draw, the arrowhead began to emit a faint wisp of green smoke.

Just like when An You used it.

Under Lann’s observation, the highly technical green crystals spontaneously formed on the arrowhead and adhered to it.

It seemed that An You’s poison burst arrows and her green crystals were both sourced from this bow.

This was not just a ranged weapon; it was also a generator of green crystals.

”It’s quite magical.”

Lann looked at the bow and murmured his admiration.

”But how do the Divine Artifact fragments come about, Cassandra?”

”What?”

”I mean, these magical weapons and armor are crafted by highly skilled blacksmiths using Divine Artifact fragments or the Artifacts themselves, right? So where do the raw materials, the Artifact fragments, come from? It’s like making a bow, the wood as raw material grows from the ground, they must have a source, right?”

Cassandra spoke naturally, ”Of course they’re made by the gods.”

”Then how do they end up in human hands? Do the temple priests handle them?”

Cassandra casually waved her hand.

”Come on, even the most famous priests in the Greek World can’t see the gods many times in their lifetime. These fragments are unearthed by humans from ruins or inherited from legendary ancestors.”

Unearthed?

This explanation obviously exceeded Lann’s expectations, leaving him a bit dumbfounded.

In this world, humans seemed more like excavators and reutilizers of these powers rather than inventors.

”But... won’t there come a day when the ruins are all dug out? And Artifacts lose power after clashing with each other... Won’t the Artifacts become increasingly rare over time, eventually vanishing completely?”

Cassandra had clearly never considered this aspect of the Artifacts before.

After all, in her previous life, she was merely a skilled and battle-loving mercenary.

In her opinion, such matters seemed to be the concern of city-state wise men, priests, or governors.

”Probably... not?”

Cassandra herself was uncertain as she spoke.

”There are always plenty of fragments, while those who can wield Artifacts are few.”

”Perhaps.” Lann shrugged. ”After all, I’m just a foreigner who doesn’t understand much. Maybe I’m mistaken, or perhaps that day is still far off.”

-----------------

The group sailed around the island of Cephalonia, arriving at Sami Harbor, where they stayed for several days. Barnabas’ crew procured food and supplies in preparation for the upcoming journey, with people occasionally running up and down the gangplank carrying bulging burlap sacks.

Lann leaned on the ship’s railing, gazing at this small island in the Aegean Sea.

The pristine white beaches shaped by the sun, sea, and wind, along with the iconic white stones of the Aegean Sea, were visible everywhere. Even the ground predominantly took on a white hue.

The flowers and plants, due to the white ground, showcased their colors more vividly, and the sea appeared clearer and more azure because of the white coastline.

To Lann, the saturation of the scene’s colors was exceptionally soothing.

Like him, Cassandra leaned an elbow on the ship’s railing, surrounded by the sounds of people chatting on the dock, seagulls screeching, and the clinking of cups from nearby taverns, yet her thoughts had already drifted towards the sea.

Suddenly, the light footsteps resounded on the deck behind them, with wooden planks creaking under each step. ”I’m ready,” Phoebe panted, ”I’ve packed everything.”

Cassandra sighed, and Lann glanced at her. It seemed she was somber because she had anticipated this situation.

”I’m not planning to take you with me, Phoebe.”

Cassandra crouched down to meet the girl’s gaze levelly.

”The places I’m going, the things I have to do, won’t let me take you along.”

”Is there really no way?”

Phoebe lowered her head in disappointment, her voice tinged with not just disappointment but also a fear of the future. She was about to part from Cassandra, something she had never envisioned in her future.

At that moment, Cassandra felt something being pressed into her hand; it was Phoebe’s wooden toy hawk.

”Then take Chara with you,” Phoebe said, ”that way no matter where you go, Chara will be with you, just like I’ll always be with you.”

”Luckily, Lann will be with you.” Phoebe glanced up at the young man. ”He was the first person I met, my Guardian God, and now I’m giving him to you.”

”Hey, don’t talk about me as if I’m some sort of object, alright?”

Lann tilted his head to look down at the little girl, grumbling in displeasure.

”But... it seems you’re keen on setting out to sea, huh?”

Phoebe suddenly looked up in delight; it seemed she had heard a hint of potential surprise in Lann’s tone.

”Of course! Of course!”

Having been cared for by Cassandra since a young age, she naturally took Cassandra as her goal. Cephalonia was too small to contain their spirits.

The hunger for adventure, the craving for a life filled with excitement... Cassandra had nurtured Phoebe to be quite like herself.

”It’s not impossible for her to come along; I can look after her for a while. She doesn’t seem like someone who would quietly stay put after we leave.”

Lann nodded towards Cassandra.

”After dealing with the Erpinuo situation, I’ll likely disembark and explore somewhere interesting. Athens sounds good, I’m quite interested. Phoebe can be my guide, isn’t she an Athenian? And you can find her in Athens later.”

The little girl excitedly pumped her fist, exclaiming a celebratory ”Woohoo!”

Cassandra appeared to ease up considerably as well; she smiled at Lann and nodded to him.

Then, a man with naturally curly hair and a slightly stout build approached them.

Speaking with an amusing accent and using exaggerated gestures, he asked Cassandra for a farewell embrace.

It seemed this was Marcos.

”Please! Give me a hug before you leave!”

He spread his arms wide towards Cassandra.

The Hawk Trainer chuckled wryly, ”Alright, come here.”

They shared a brief embrace.

After making sure the only two people she cared about on the island were settled, the Adrestia untied its ropes and sailed into the azure Aegean Sea.