Bear School Astartes

”He has lived for so long that he doesn’t even need to worry, time will bury all those records for him.”

”In short, the current result is: He suddenly healed his heart disease at Airetusa. He emerged smiling after recovery, treating the previous agony as a joke.”

At this point, Vizimir regrettably pinched his eyebrows: ”Why didn’t I notice earlier? The quality of students at Ban Aide Academy has been notoriously declining for so long, yet I never suspected the cause of his exhaustion.”

Henselt glanced coldly at Vizimir from the side.

”Stop pointing at me here, Vizimir. We must come up with a result today!”

Vizimir appears to regret his oversight, but Ban Aide Academy is located within the Codwin territory.

Those students expelled from Ban Aide Academy over the years were all taken by Codwin’s intelligence agency at the school gate, trained to become Magic Spies.

Vizimir claiming to be negligent, but isn’t Henselt blind to the facts?

”After all, his heart is already healed, can anyone in this world now dig out that healthy heart from his chest?”

”You’re right, his heart disease has indeed healed.” Vizimir stops dwelling, ”But after all, he has just recovered from a major illness. So to say, he never really manages Wizard Association matters, just serves as a nominal figure, attending banquets occasionally.”

”Now that his heart disease has healed, he seems intent on focusing his energies on nurturing students, not so much on power struggles. Furthermore, much like Tishaya de Veris, even if he wanted to get involved, he likely can’t keep up with the times.”

”So, with all that said...”

”So, with all that said, it’s still Viggo Fortez!” Veltrest openly expressed the meaning that Vizimir had left unsaid. ”Viggo Fortez!”

His anger was also undisguised.

”This Warlock’s influence is too great! Being constantly fettered by Viggo Fortez and the Wizard Association’s plans has made me very irritated! Especially since these plans, I am neither familiar with nor understand! They’re all secretive things cooked up by the Wizards themselves.”

”But there is still room for maneuver.”

Veltrest spoke with his anger restrained.

”Gentlemen, what if the Niflgaard people make the first move? For instance, infringe Dor Angora? Attack Yaden and Lilia? We can arrange... to put it bluntly, fabricate a minor provocation.”

”A minor border crossing by the Niflgaard’s frontier troops, when a real fight breaks out, the situation will be so chaotic that it can’t be investigated.”

”Of course, we will take decisive actions and will receive sympathy and support from everyone, including Viggo Fortez and all members of the Wizard Association.”

”By the time Enshir receives the news in distant Golden Pagoda City and turns his attention, it will already be too late!”

”Currently, there are many Sintra survivors and refugees living near Brugge under Marshal Sintra Visegrad’s command, always yearning to return to their exiled homeland, their burned country.”

”Among them, there are just eight thousand armed Sintra men, what better vanguard exists?”

”They yearn to return home every day, fearing death only if it proves meaningless.”

”They just need a signal to fight, a cry to battle accompanied by subsequent support and a plan!”

”The cry is secondary,” Miv said calmly, ”mainly, it’s about subsequent support and planning.”

She, as always, hit the nail on the head.

”Enshir has eight thousand at the border, ready to be mobilized at any time. Visegrad’s forces striking against them wouldn’t even make a splash.”

Demavi raised his beer mug as he spoke, his voice muffled and echoing in the cup.

”There’s still Sintra’s Lann, right? Let him...”

”Are you sure you want him to deploy first?” The formerly calm queen suddenly turned and sternly questioned. ”Are you sure you want a minor skirmish to suddenly escalate the intensity to full-blown war?”

Demavi fell silent, while Miv continued questioning him.

”Are you sure you remember the looks of soldiers, my soldiers, everyone’s soldiers at Sodden Mountain’s battle’s end when they looked at him?”

”Inconceivable, Demavi. Are you eager to see your soldiers with eyes that kneel to others before you again? Doesn’t the thought already make your skin crawl?”

”Miv is right,” Henselt said in a deep voice, ”Honestly, it’s better if we don’t deploy Sintra’s Lann this time, as it truly chills my heart.”

”Visegrad’s forces are insufficient.” Miv turned her face back, brushing past the topic, continuing with the previous thread, ”Unless we genuinely show our intention to support and have a comprehensive plan, he won’t send his men to their deaths.”

”More importantly, Visegrad is still waiting for Sintra’s young lion cub.”

”Calanthe’s granddaughter escaped the massacre, someone claimed to have seen her among the refugee crowd. But soon after, she mysteriously disappeared.”

”The Sintra People have been looking for her; they need royal blood on the throne they are set to reclaim. Calanthe’s bloodline.”

Miv emphasized.

”All nonsense.” Veltrest frowned, ”It’s been over two years since the war ended. If the child has not been heard from, it’s almost certain she’s dead.”

”We can also forget those far-fetched delusions, Calanthe and her bloodline have already ceased to exist. Sintra... can’t return to the state it was when the lioness was alive. Of course, these words shouldn’t be said to those Sintra People.”

”So you’re planning to send the Sintra guerrillas to their deaths?” Miv narrowed her eyes, ”Letting them head to the front line without telling them Sintra would only become your vassal state even if reborn?”

”Are you trying to make us attack Sintra for your benefit? Veltrest, you’ve recently taken Sodden and Brugge, honed your claws in Videns, and now set your sights on Sintra, haven’t you?”

”Admit it, Veltrest.” Henselt shouted sharply, ”You’re instigating us just for this?”

”Nonsense.” King of Temeria shook his head indifferently. ”You make it sound like I’m a dreamer with ambitions to build an empire, a conqueror.”

”Sodden and Brugge under my hand? Sodden’s king is my maternal half-brother. After his death, Sodden Kingdom handed the crown to his relative, which is me. Is there anything improper legally or ethically? Blood is thicker than water!”

”King Venceslav of Brugge paid homage and tribute to me, but he remains a nation’s leader. He did so merely because he was terrified. After all, on a clear day, he can even see the black sun flag waving across the river from his city walls!”

”It better be this way.” Miv spoke as if indifferent, ”Sintra Royal Family has no blood relation with you, no blood ties, and they won’t accept being a vassal state.”

”Indeed.” Vizimir responded, ”Sintra must be a free country, free and powerful. It should serve as a steel gate resisting Niflgaard, not a wasteland!”

”How could such a Sintra be rebuilt?” Veltrest snorted, ”Their royal family has been completely wiped out!”

”But no matter what, Sintra People won’t accept an outsider on the throne.” Miv laughed, ”Even a foreign Regent King won’t do. Forced rule will only result in a fatal backlash.”

”Visegrad will still become the vanguard by then, but at that time, he’ll be accepting aid from the Southern Empire Emperor Enshir.”

”During the war conference, Enshir will say the same thing you did earlier: let the Sintra People be the vanguard, this time we’re fighting the Northern Countryman.”

”He knows, Miv.” Vizimir smirked beside him, ”Veltrest knows it very well. That’s why he went to such lengths to find Sintra’s young lion cub. Don’t you understand yet? Blood is thicker than water.”

”The crown can be obtained through marriage, she’s a girl capable of bearing children, just force her to marry...”

”Are you insane?!” The King of Temeria was almost furious his lips trembled, ”The young lion cub is dead! I haven’t sent anyone to look for her! Even if she’s alive, I’m not... interested in forcing a little girl to do such things!”

”You don’t need force.” Miv flashed a charming smile, ”You are a king and still in your prime, tall and handsome, my relative. There are plenty of women who’d spread their legs to bear your child. The young lion is just a little girl, easy to handle, isn’t she?”

”That’s what his plan is.” Demavi laughed, ”Once we arduously start attacking the southern bank of the Yaruga River, he will find that girl then, win her heart, and make her pregnant.”

”Then Sintra will rise again, the pregnant girl will ascend the throne, inheriting the undoubtedly pure bloodline from Calanthe. Not only a queen but comes with a king too.”

Veltrest’s face turned red then white with anger: ”Your drivel here is totally meaningless!”

”I find it very meaningful!” Vizimir said coldly, ”Because I know, Henselt knows too, you also know, there’s someone eagerly searching for that girl. Veltrest, who is that person?”

”Visegrad, Sintra People.” The King of Temeria crossed his arms, ”Isn’t this obvious?”

”No, not them.” Vizimir denied without pause, ”It’s someone else!”

”He leaves bodies wherever he goes; he’ll bribe, extort, torture, silence without hesitation... May I ask, under which of your banners is there a man named Reins?”

The old king looked around at others’ expressions and finally nodded to himself.

”Well then, from your expressions, I can see you either truly don’t know about this or don’t want to admit it, the result is the same.”

”Then let me remind you again: someone is searching for Calanthe’s bloodline, and the way he’s searching, is so violent it’s unsettling. I want to ask, who exactly wants to find her?”

”We’ve painstakingly made plans to seize Sintra, but once captured, where should this kingdom go... don’t let someone unknowingly swoop in halfway and devour it whole.”