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TWL Chapter 224: Allies or Pawns
🕑 Added 2024-09-28 21:42:05 +0000 UTCLan said: "Verily I say unto you, the era of the sword and axe is nigh, the era of the wolf's blizzard. The Time of the White Chill and the White Light is nigh, the Time of Madness and the Time of Contempt: Tedd DeireΓ‘dh, the Time of End. The world will die amidst frost and be reborn with the new sun. It will be reborn of Elder Blood, of Hen Ichaer, of the seed that has been sown."
Iorveth, stunned, unconsciously completed the prophecy: "A seed which will not sprout but burst into flame. Ess'tuath esse! Thus it shall be! Watch for the signs! What signs these shall be, I say unto you: first the earth will flow with the blood of Aen Seidhe, the Blood of Elves..."
Seeing Iorveth who started to recite the prophecy very cooperatively, Lann nodded with satisfaction. But he still interrupted Iorveth.
"So, as you can see. I am the Elder Blood in the prophecy, the first fully awakened Elder Blood in history, which means..."
"I am the savior of whom the prophecy speaks."
With a low, mysterious voice, without a trace of emotion, Lann continued: "I said at the beginning that I came to save you."
Iorveth's heart trembled, but he still tried his best to regain a trace of reason.
Luckily, he was a warrior. If he had been another, less cunning elf, he would probably have been tricked by Lann already.
"Even if you have the Elder Blood... you are still a human."
Lann, with a cold look, ignored Iorveth's comment. "That's why I hate the Scoia'tael. I have no problem with non-human races, I even feel sympathy for many of them."
"Perhaps you have been away from civilization too long. If you knew anything about the current situation in Cintra, you would know that we now defend Brokilon, and the dryads, who were even more radical than you Scoia'tael. They have already made peace with us, you could even say that we are one people."
"Not only that, I have also invited dwarves and halflings to live in Cintra, to lend me their strength. There will always be differences between races, but my wish is for Cintra to be a unique place, a paradise where all races can live together in equality, at least without discrimination."
"And you, the Scoia'tael, have now become the biggest promoter of racial conflicts. I have seen many peace-loving non-humans in the North pay for your blood debts."
Lann said, pointing to the halfling who was watching this side warily: "Halflings are the most peace-loving race. I guess the reason he joined the Scoia'tael must be because his home was destroyed, but have you ever thought that those humans who destroyed his home hated the Scoia'tael?"
At Lann's harsh words, Iorveth let out a light laugh.
"Even if you have awakened the Elder Blood, you are still just a human." Iorveth sneered. "Do you want me to abandon my revenge and stop resisting? The elves of the past underestimated the greed of humans, which is why we were now forced to retreat to the Blue Mountains. Do you think I will repeat the same mistake? Do you really think we are that naive?"
Lann shook his head. "Everything I've said is what I've seen and done. There are no conspiracies or deceptions. You can check it out if you want."
"You know about the Elder Blood, so surely you also know that Lara Dorren had the ability to foresee the future, a skill I inherited." Lann pointed to his own eyes. "In the future I see, what you are doing will bring nothing but calamity. Not only will you cause an indiscriminate slaughter of humans against non-human races, dragging down countless innocent civilians; but in addition, the Scoia'tael themselves will end up as a political sacrifice. You fought for Nilfgaard, but in the end, you will be abandoned as pawns by the elves and the empire when they seek an agreement with the Northern Kingdoms."
This information came from Lann's memories of his past life. In fact, calling it a prophecy would not be incorrect.
Watching Iorveth's changing expression, Lann smiled. "Yes, I know that the Empire is behind you, and I even know that the elves of the Blue Mountains support you politically - you are not a spontaneously organized uprising army or revenge army. I am afraid that your dwarf friends and halfling friends don't know this, right? But I am the Elder Blood, and I know everything."
The Scoia'tael camp was not very large, and Lann's words were loud enough for everyone to hear. Those who did not know the truth began to murmur amongst themselves. They knew nothing about the Elder Blood, and they did not trust Lann either. However, what truly troubled them was Iorveth's expression, which confirmed the truth of Lann's words.
Iorveth was silent for a moment, thinking.
Lann waited patiently until the elf finally raised his head with difficulty and spoke: "Are you saying that... the Scoia'tael will be abandoned? That all my comrades will be betrayed?"
"I've told you many times, but I'll tell you again: I came to save them." Lann said. "The battle at Hagge Castle was just a salute from me. I allowed them to retreat without any casualties. If it weren't for me, even if they had killed Henselt, they wouldn't have survived to return here."
"We have been prepared to sacrifice!"
"I know, I know... you are a group of Avengers. I understand, Believe me." Lann shook his head. "But I have a better idea, you know?"
The heir of the Elder Blood said in a gentle and persuasive way: "Killing Henselt will only cause chaos in Kaedwen. Is that enough for you? Do you think that by just quenching your thirst for vengeance everything will be fine?"
"If you follow my plan, I can even let you own the entire Kaedwen."
...
Lann lowered his voice, and only Iorveth could hear what he said. The other members of the Scoia'tael, though attentive, could hear nothing more. From a distance, however, they could see Iorveth's face change from doubt, to concern, and finally to an indescribable expression.
"I know you doubt what I say and are unsure of what decision to make. You can go back and consult with those who are actually in positions of power, but I assure you that they too will agree to follow my plan."
Lann took a step back, indicating that he had finished speaking. "By the way, say hello to Ms. Daisy of the Valleys for me. I am looking forward to meeting her."
Before Iorveth could respond, Lann prepared to activate his [Teleport] skill, preparing to leave.
He had complete confidence that Iorveth would take his words into account.
"Lannister!" Iorveth suddenly spoke up, no longer calling Lann by the name of his race. "According to everything you said, you are helping us. Why are you doing this?"
Lann chuckled. "First of all, what I just said to you is true. About the elimination of racial discrimination in Cintra and even racial equality. I don't want my people to bear your sins in the end."
After saying this, Lann pointed to his eyes again and said meaningfully: "Secondly, in the future I see, you will play a big role."
In the future that I 'see', the future that I will create.
However, Iorveth interpreted it differently. A future prophesied by the Elder Blood? Saving the world? Could the Scoia'tael, or even himself, play a significant role in that destiny?
Before he could react, Lann had already vanished into a green light that dispersed under the morning sun.
This time Iorveth looked carefully.
"It's not a portal, nor any known magic." He muttered to himself in a trance: "This magical teleportation ability... is it really the Elder Blood?"
The Scoia'tael were in doubt and were still searching for traces of Lann.
Iorveth's adjutant slowly walked to his side and asked with his head down: "Iorveth, this matter..."
"Francesca must know." Iorveth suddenly came to his senses and said firmly: "I want to go back to the Blue Mountains."
The adjutant showed a submissive expression and had no objection to the captain's decision. "Yes, the lady must know about this. We need the guidance of the Daisy of the Valleys..."
The rebirth of the Elder Blood was a crucial matter for the elves, especially if this bearer had achieved an unprecedented awakening. Recalling the fragments of the prophecies, Iorveth felt dizzy.
But before that, there are other things that Iorveth needs to deal with.
Lann just said too much information that the outside world doesn't know, and many of the current members of the Scoia'tael don't know.
Iorveth turned around and saw the hesitation on the faces of his fellow Scoia'tael.
A halfling asked Iorveth hesitantly: "Iorveth, who was that human just now? What is the Elder Blood? Is what he said true? Behind us is actually... the human empire in the south that is funding us?"
These confused members of the Scoia'tael include dwarves, halflings, gnomes, and even a few elves who have just returned from wandering among the people. Some of them did join the Scoia'tael for revenge, but more of them were driven by the ideals of freedom or racial liberation in their hearts.
If the Scoia'tael is really just a political force supported by human forces with high-sounding reasons, then what are they?
Comments
Axell
Thanks for the chapter π
