Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1170 1152. Noble Justice

 Special rations can taste like barley porridge if boiled with water. This was an acceptable taste that Lan En had worked hard to concoct for the sake of taste.

However, in terms of Gulong's teeth, Qilin feels that if chewed dry without adding water, it will taste like a biscuit and taste more chewy.

Under the scorching flames, the moisture in the firewood that has not yet dried up makes a crackling sound. It is not noisy, but has a reassuring silence.

The Ember Knights seemed to have returned to their glorious past, living with Lan En who led them.

Lan En also moved back, leaning against Qilin's side and quietly watching the bonfire in front of him swaying and flickering.

After the flannel ball was full, he started to take out the bed from his small leather bag with great interest, and ran around to make it next to Qilin's head.

It has been using the space expansion pack back and forth during this period. This kind of space magic equipment makes it feel fresh and fun to use. Have fun doing it.

In this quiet and stable atmosphere, Lan En suddenly spoke.

"About the Scoia'tael Party, which has become more and more troubled in recent months."

The moment Lan En spoke, all the Ember Knights immediately broke away from being immersed in the comfortable atmosphere and looked at him.

Lan En himself, however, remained untroubled.

"Lincoln, tell me what you think. And..."

"What do you think of the Knights?"

The firewood in the campfire was still crackling, but the atmosphere was no longer comfortable and quiet.

Qilin tilted his lying head and looked in the direction of the bonfire.

At this time, the flannel ball slowly put down the work in his little paws, raised his head and looked around blankly.

"Meow?"

A soft cry broke the silence.

"What we think depends on what you think, my lord." Lincoln said calmly while touching his face that was a little stinging after shaving.

"But I'm asking you what you think, just say it."

Lan En was unmoved by Lincoln's words and still insisted.

"Okay." Lincoln frowned and then said reluctantly.

"There is no doubt that the Scoia'tael were funded and instigated by the Nilfgaard Empire and gained their current momentum."

"Otherwise, the timing is too coincidental. The treatment of non-human races has not only become worse in recent years, but it did not become such a big deal before the Civil War."

"Even if we saw the human civil war and gave birth to the hope of resistance, we shouldn't have so many courageous and cruel inhuman races popping up all at once."

"So in terms of their relationship with the Nilfgaardian Empire, we consider them enemies."

"In other words," Lan En calmly concluded Lincoln's statement, "strive to kill everyone."

Given the hatred of the people of Cintra for Nilfgaard, it is natural for them to want to eliminate Nilfgaard and its affiliated forces.

This is what Lan En meant when he said before, ‘This is not a problem that can be solved by force alone’.

Even the Ember Knights under his command, although loyal, actually have their own thoughts in their hearts.

And this is true even for the Knights of Ember, who have been deeply influenced by Lan, let alone other people's views on the Scoia'tael.

"Yes, my lord. This is our common thought."

Lincoln confirmed Lane's summary.

Somehow, even though Lan En didn't show any emotion, Lincoln felt that he was a little disappointed.

But then, Lincoln ignored this feeling, looked past the swaying bonfire, looked at his commander seriously, and made a supplement.

"But sir, our judgment is only based on the position of friend and foe."

"Um?"

For the first time, Lan En's cat eyes that shone slightly in the darkness moved away from the bonfire, turned to Lincoln, and his eyes focused.

The knight, who was four or five years younger than Lan En and was still only seventeen or eighteen years old, was looking at his cat eyes calmly.

"What do you mean? The position between us and the enemy?"

"Yes, our judgment is based on the enemy's position." Lincoln said without reservation. "It has nothing to do with race."

"We have seen the dwarf regiments fighting against the Nilfgaardians on Mount Soden. They were brave and fearless and did not flinch. We will feel at ease and comfortable fighting with them."

"So it has nothing to do with race, sir. At least the dwarves we have come into contact with on Sodden Mountain are all good."

Lan En tilted his head and became interested.

"You seem to know the point I want to ask you?"

"You can guess it, sir." Lincoln's young face nodded. "The biggest characteristic of the Scoia'tael is that they are all composed of inhuman races, and the second is the method of torture and cruelty, isn't it?" "It seems that you do think of me. Just as smart and as potential, Lincoln." Lan En smiled appreciatively at him. "but why?"

".what did you say?"

Facing Lincoln, who looked slightly confused, Lan En crossed his arms and leaned against Qilin.

"Then let me make it clear: I remember that Cintra is not known for its tolerance towards non-human races. Temeria has a better reputation in this regard. But it is only relatively good."

"Then why, you and I, don't care about race?"

Young Lincoln opened his mouth and frowned. Lan En kept watching his movements.

But Lincoln finally spoke up.

"Because of you, and Steward Harxor, my lord."

The familiar name and the feeling in the memory flooded Lan En's heart in an instant.

"Haktholl," he repeated the name softly.

"During our war two years ago, most of them were young nobles trapped in Sintra Castle."

Lincoln didn't seem to notice Lan En's reminiscing look, as if he was talking about something unrelated.

The eyes of the other Ember Knights were also filled with nostalgia and memories.

"At that time, the noble parents of Cintra made their children drink poison that could lead to peaceful death, and committed suicide with a short sword. Our parents were not in the castle, and people thought they had no right to take our lives."

"So, we were at a loss as to how we could escape together with Chief Harksall, and joined the formation of Knight Stewart on the way to follow his orders."

"We muddle-headedly saved many people along the way and witnessed the deaths of many. In the end, we witnessed the sacrifice and completed self-sacrifice."

The young man's newly shaved face looked at Lan En seriously.

"Sir, to be honest, although those knights in the Knights who were born as civilians and ordinary soldiers are now as close as brothers to all of us, such as Henwell."

Lincoln stretched his hand to the side, and at the same time, the Ember Knight who introduced Lan En to High Hill Castle also sat on his blanket, looking at Lan En and Lincoln calmly.

"But two years ago, before we suffered the torture and experience of the whirlpool of war, sir, do you think there is really a big difference between civilian humans and non-human races in the eyes of us descendants of nobles?"

Lincoln spoke calmly, even coldly.

"No, sir. Before we became the glorious Ember Knights we are today, in the eyes of the nobles, human commoners and non-human races were all just the same 'property'."

"It's just that because of everyone's different thoughts, some noble lords will look down upon non-human races and take special aim at them. Some will treat them equally. And the latter one will get a reputation like King Foltest today."

"Those who agree with him will say that he is tolerant and kind. Those who oppose him will say that he has no human glory, is confused by non-human races, and cannot be trusted at all."

"But those noble lords who are already cruel, when they treat the farmers in their territories, will they stop and show tolerance just because he is a human being?"

Lincoln's young face swayed calmly in the flickering shadow of the firelight.

Without expecting a response from Lan En, he gave the answer on his own.

"There is no such thing, my lord."

"Hang the farmer you don't like. It doesn't matter whether the farmer is a human, an elf or a half-elf. It makes no difference."

"So in the beginning, in the eyes of us nobles, civilians are civilians, no matter whether they are elves, half-elves or humans. At most, they can just curse non-humans a few more times."

Lincoln smiled self-deprecatingly: "Isn't this a different kind of 'treating everyone equally'?"

But after laughing at himself, the young man's eyes reflecting the firelight revealed a look of reminiscence and admiration.

His eyes crossed the campfire and looked at the adult who was sitting calmly. But that look seemed to be looking at more than just Lan En.

"But disaster and chaos will bring hardship and change, my lord. Suffering is not worthy of praise, but the spiritual growth and broadening of knowledge brought by suffering are real."

"When Steward Harxor led us to escape from the captured city of Cintra, he tried his best to save anyone he could see."

"When we rejoined the remnants of the army led by Stewart, he did what his father had done."

"I believe that at that time, regardless of whether there were non-human races among that small, insignificant group of refugees, they would have made the same choice as what had happened."

"In the last letter to you, Chief Harksall said: In the past days of stability and prosperity, he never seemed to care much about those insignificant civilians. But after these difficult days, he discovered that we are actually the same people. ”

"He expressed sincere emotion at the end of his life for this, and so did we, my lord."

"From that day on, we all knew and kept in mind one fact." Lincoln's eyes met the slightly shiny cat's eyes without hesitation, and the reflection of the firelight bloomed in his eyes like forged steel.

"We are all the same being, my lord."

"We don't care about non-human races or humans. What we care about is justice and morality! Just like you."

"Could it be that when you turned around and left after reading that letter, did you ever think about whether there was such a thing as a non-human race among that tiny group of refugees?"

(End of chapter)