Chapter 1425 - 1390: Two Versions of the Story

Is the Eternal Fire Church large?

Very large, it could almost be said to be the most widely spread belief in the north, besides the Meretelli faith.

Moreover, unlike the broad emphasis on maternal love in the Meretelli faith, the Eternal Fire has concretely formed a church with strong control and execution power as its organizational structure.

In fact, any religious ideology, no matter how much it promotes passive governance, once its organizational structure is established and spreads on such a large scale, it can no longer be just a religion.

The nature of the organization will naturally tend toward greater power and strength.

So until now, the loose and broad Meretelli faith is still a belief in maternal love.

But the organization structure of the Eternal Fire has become increasingly radical and exclusive.

And because of this radicalism and exclusivity, it has rapidly developed on the organizational level.

However, precisely because of such radicalism and exclusivity, it makes it unlikely for them to obtain detailed information about the Demon Hunters.

Because this would undoubtedly violate their overall organizational style in recent years.

Things always have advantages and disadvantages. The style of the Eternal Fire allows it to expand rapidly, but it also prevents them from flexibly adjusting their attitude.

Knowing that you are seeking knowledge about Demon Hunters, what would extreme followers think?

Would the church actually not believe in the sacred supreme guidance of the Eternal Fire’s power?

And those Warlocks and Demon Hunters who are already targeted and despised by the Eternal Fire Church, who among them would have the courage to seek cooperation or disclose information?

Of course, with the scale that the Eternal Fire Church has now, there must be people researching Demon Hunters and even other mysticism.

But this matter cannot possibly be discussed openly, nor can it be part of the cooperation with the White Rose Knight Order.

Even though the White Rose Knight Order’s belief in the Eternal Fire has become widespread, it is still an armed institution outside the church, considered outsiders.

Power struggles within the church are inevitable, so where would outsiders find such trust to rely upon?

Therefore, it is unlikely that the Eternal Fire and the White Rose Knight Order are the sources of the investigation into the Demon Hunter’s information.

But now, even Seward is not involved...where did these messages and knowledge come from?

And this teleportation array...

Lann turned his head and looked at the collapsed wall he had just smashed.

A corner of the magic array, submerged in blood and dirt, was exposed in his line of sight.

According to Lann’s perspective, this is an array with ’notification+positioning’ functions.

This means that if the recipient of the notification is not a Warlock capable of opening a teleportation portal, this thing is entirely useless.

The White Rose Knight Order has a not-too-bad Warlock friend, or at least a cooperative partner with shared interests.

But...who could this be?

On a hill outside the White Rose Knight Order’s castle, a man wearing knight order armor and a blooming White Rose shield emblem on his chest shook his hand.

He has a brown beard, appears to be around forty years old. These whiskers connect to his short brown hair, creating a stern square face with an air of propriety and seriousness.

Such a face appearing at the forefront of the White Rose Knight Order does not seem out of place.

Adesberg’s Jacques is indeed a renowned figure within the White Rose Knight Order, a strong contender for the position of the Knight Captain.

With a wave of his hand, the orderly Chaos Magic Power’s glow immediately scattered and eventually disappeared into the night.

A knight of the White Rose Knight Order, yet radiating the glow of Chaos Magic Power, is indeed ironic.

However, the knight himself seemed to feel nothing.

"The teleportation portal failed."

Not surprisingly, he looked at his own hand.

The hand that failed in casting remained unscathed because he shifted the price and damage of the failed teleportation portal entirely to the person inside.

"Of course, naturally it would fail."

He spoke again without surprise.

The square face that looked solemn and righteous gazed at the castle, as if seeing the events unfolding inside.

The primary requirement for a military organization’s base is that the inside cannot be directly observed from outside, preventing anyone from easily assessing the internal personnel count, layout of depots, patrol routes, and other intelligence.

Thus, camps are usually set up at the highest surrounding terrain for a bird’s eye view of others, but once the walls are erected, outsiders can’t see inside.

The knight order’s castle certainly adheres to this principle.

But the man’s gaze made people doubt whether the wall could block his observation.

"The Hunting Marquis, protector of Sintra and Fujian, has always been strong. How could a teleportation portal possibly impede his killing?"

The man in his forties muttered in a deep voice, looking at the flickering flames of the castle and turned to leave.

Lann did not set the fire, but as the castle became more chaotic, more people awoke from their slumber, and naturally, more torches were lit.

"But that’s just as well. I originally planned to let this group of trash die inside the portal."

"In this way... the purge within the Knight Order is, indeed, complete."

As he donned his full plate armor, Lann walked steadily and easily along the mountain path, casually detaching the small shield emblem of the White Rose from the chest piece of his armor.

Jacques carelessly tossed the small shield emblem, representing the identity and honor of the Knight Order, into the wild grass of a small hillside, where it vanished from sight.

Yet, the flames of obsession in the man’s eyes almost ignited instantly!

"The corrupt and powerless White Rose has been purged; next, it will become a... burning flame rose!"

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

Lann noticed that this operation of the White Rose Knight Order seemed to have someone else guiding and instigating it from within.

But the clues left in this place were already too few—no letters or document traces.

Lann suspected that the White Rose Knight Order’s contact with that hidden figure was likely entirely communicated verbally.

And Knight Captain Rudolph himself had become literally scattered to pieces.

Moreover, the meeting date on Sandy Island was approaching quickly, leaving no time for a deeper investigation.

So Lann could only frown and set the matter aside for the moment, preparing to follow the previously agreed schedule with Geralt and the others to head for Gos Velen.

Just before leaving the castle, which was already in complete chaos, Lann had a "friendly" conversation with the Dwarf Guard Captain.

The dwarf indeed had a stubborn temperament, but fortunately, the dwarves of the Magic Middle Ages were not as stubborn as those in the Ardan World.

Though there was no major conflict between them, as long as anyone tried to force him, he wouldn’t back down even with a knife at his throat.

Before Lann effortlessly inserted a crossbow arrow tipped with a Demon-Blocking Gold Arrowhead into the rocky secret chamber wall—

"I have never admitted who I am, Guard Captain Kramer. Taking down this castle and killing all the White Rose Knights inside was merely the result of our group working together with skill."

"I couldn’t see your face clearly, but even your language is clean, convincing me you’re no bandit? What’s the nonsense? Anyway, I’m Prince Seward’s Guard Captain; I report what I see, no lies, no fabrication. That’s it."

And thereafter—

"So now, Guard Captain, could you repeat what you saw?"

Facing Lann’s gentle inquiry, even spoken in a very polite manner, Dennis Kramer first glanced at the arrowhead lodged into the rock and then at the shadow beneath the hood.

The dwarf’s stubborn and cold visage was exceedingly calm.

"I saw Rudolph and the others desperately trying to enter a portal to escape, but the wall suddenly collapsed and a crossbow arrow with a blue-tinted arrowhead embedded itself into the wall, causing the portal to suddenly destabilize and collapse."

"Furthermore, I followed Prince Seward’s orders to stay on the upper levels and had no opportunity to look down, so I didn’t see what actually happened below."

All true, no falsehoods.

During the opening of the portal, a Demon-Blocking Gold Arrowhead crossbow arrow flew by, causing the portal’s collapse, aligning perfectly with both logic and reality.

After a friendly nod, Lann turned and left the castle.

Dennis Kramer watched the extraordinarily tall figure gradually vanish from sight within the stairwell, his expression remaining unchanged.

It wasn’t until two minutes later that a crack appeared on his lips within a beard matted with vomit.

"Phew!"

He exhaled deeply, and a layer of cold sweat seemed to instantly emerge on his forehead, back, and neck.

The dwarf clenched his teeth as if he’d just finished a draining battle.

He looked back at the stairwell Lann had descended, his expression complex.

He would still report everything he saw to Duke Elrand Seward, for that was his duty, and he was not someone who would neglect his responsibilities.

Lann knew this as well.

Indeed, both knew that even if the full truth was conveyed to Seward, he would absolutely adopt Dennis Kramer’s latter explanation for external announcement.

The current situation was not like before.

As a duke within the Temerian realm, Seward and those around him, including the dwarf, understood this well... a storm was brewing!

At this juncture, the fact that the Knight Order had been slaughtered by the Hunting Marquis was not significant.

The priority was to confirm that the Hunting Marquis’s stance was still aligned with the North and not with Niflgaard.

Secondly, who was behind the White Rose Knight Order’s recent actions, and who instigated or controlled them to the point of daring such deeds?

Are there more knight orders that have been incited or controlled, waiting silently to act at a more crucial time?

The survival of the Knight Order itself was of lesser importance, ranking only third or beyond.

Both Dennis Kramer and Lann knew that Seward, when reporting to Veltrest, would still convey the truth. However, when King of Temeria announced the investigation results, he would adopt the second explanation.