Bear School Astartes

Chapter 35: 35. Capture the Cannibal

As Lann had expected, there were several simple trap devices set up along the way.

They weren’t complex, more like the kind made by hunters to catch beasts.

Lann’s keen eye easily dismantled these setups.

The Roaring Bear Head Necklace around his neck hung securely, which made Lann feel more at ease.

Because this indicated that there was no sign of magic involved in this area.

The group tracked all the way to a cave.

At the mouth of the cave, Lann signaled to Philip behind him that this was the hideout of the murderer.

The Demon Hunter felt the direction of the wind at the cave’s entrance, confirming that this cave had only one exit.

The soldiers prepared themselves in a relaxed manner, hanging an iron lantern on their chests.

A candle was placed in a completely enclosed iron box, with a small external window that could be opened and closed.

This type of lantern could focus its light forward structurally, and hanging it on the chest with a layer of armor in between did not feel hot enough to burn.

This could be considered a little medieval martial strategy.

The soldiers filed in, the sound of their armor clanking and scraping echoed through the cave, seeming urgent and dense.

Yes, Lann and the soldiers no longer cared about concealment at this point.

Amidst the flickering light, people could vaguely see a strange silhouette in the depths of the cave, looking panicked.

”Run, bastard! Run faster, let’s see where you can go!” A leading soldier shouted with undisguised malice and anger. ”Dare to eat people in Dunham! Don’t even think about a hanging; we’ll tie you to the stake and burn you alive to atone for your sins!”

But even as he shouted, he never lowered the shield from in front of his face.

This, without a doubt, helped him a lot.

A stone flew out from the depths of the cave and hit the shield with a ”boom.”

The shield tilted slightly but quickly returned to position.

Cannibalistic criminals, without a doubt, are the most dangerous kind, the sort you wouldn’t expect to surrender easily.

If the shield hadn’t blocked that thrown stone just now, it would likely have hit the soldier’s helmet directly.

A steel helmet can effectively protect the head, but its structure means that even if hit with a heavy slap, the person inside could get dizzy.

Let alone a rather hefty stone.

In history, the hand-to-hand skills of the Yeniche troops were famously known as the ”Yeniche Slap.”

”Resist! Alright! Keep resisting!”

The soldiers quickened their pace, the anger of their faith being trampled, breaking out alongside the resentment of trudging through the swamp in armor.

Lann heard York also shouting.

”You bastard, we’ll make you beg to get on the pyre faster!”

Finally, one man, unable to bear the outside pressure, went crazy throwing a dozen stones and then rushed forward.

All the stones were blocked by the shields at the front of the group.

And this man seemed to understand the terrible punishment awaiting him, and to Lann, it seemed he rushed in more to seek death than life.

A dagger as long as a forearm was not protective at all, flailing as it collided with the soldiers’ blades.

”He doesn’t want to live; don’t kill him right here.”

The Demon Hunter, with night vision, fully saw the killer’s little tricks, so he spoke up to remind.

This guy’s actions fully deserved every kind of cruel torture in the world.

The cooperation among these veterans was excellent; while the killer tangled with one soldier, three Sword and Shield Soldiers surrounded him with their shields.

The three shields squeezed inward, and the killer’s arm holding the dagger got stuck and was snapped with a crunch.

After a futile scream, several one-handed swords were thrust through the gaps in the shields.

All the tips pointed down, mostly into the thighs.

By this point, the outcome was almost settled.

The remaining nearly ten soldiers didn’t even have to lift a finger.

A group of them dragged and pulled the beast out of the cave, exposing him to the sunlight.

At this moment, everyone could see his appearance clearly.

Pale skin, sunken eyes, his physique matched closely with the data Lann provided.

He wore an open black animal skin vest, with nothing else covering his upper body.

A human hand served as a pendant, with a rope through the wrist bone, hanging around his neck.

The hand was cut off at the wrist, seemingly treated to prevent decay, keeping it plump but not smelling.

To prevent him from escaping, soldiers decisively left two holes in his feet with a sword.

From the top of the foot to the sole, straight through.

And whether it would get infected in the swamp?

He was going to the pyre, why should I care if he gets infected?

Philip felt great.

”Thanks to you, Master. Otherwise, with this bastard hiding here, who knows how much more effort it’d take for us to catch him!”

”Just remember the bounty... Ugh, this bastard reeks of human meat. It’s making me almost vomit.”

”Don’t worry about the bounty! We’ve captured him alive; the bounty won’t be short by a penny!”

Lann nodded, agreeing with Philip.

Alive is worth more than dead.

But looking at the still wailing cannibal, Lann became slightly serious and gave Philip a suggestion.

”It’s good to complete the task, but... let me say, that guy probably wasn’t alone.”

”Hmm? Another killer?”

Philip was shocked, but Lann just shook his head and waved.

”He’s the only one committing crimes in Dunham, but what I’m saying is he probably belongs to a group of cannibals.”

”How do you know?”

The sergeant looked at Lann suspiciously, the young man lifted his chin, pointing to the killer’s necklace.

”Look at that necklace. A human hand, cleaned thoroughly and hung around his neck. It’s an obvious ritualistic accessory, the need for ’ritual’ and ’decoration’ only emerges within a specific targeted group.”

Philip’s eyes shone like a child’s.

Lann watched and pressed his lips, touching his forehead.

”Put it this way, followers of the Eternal Fire will leave flame designs all over their bodies, but others won’t do the same.”

”Oh~ I get it.” Philip nodded up and down, ”You’re saying he worships a Cannibal Faction?”

”...You can think of it that way.” Lann reluctantly agreed with this notion.

”Look at that hand necklace, the cut at the wrist has been treated to cleanly expose the wrist bone. Their preservation techniques are quite good, indicating they’ve eaten many people and have refined the process to make these accessories... they’re organized, Philip.”

Lann earnestly advised him to be careful and to enhance regional patrols if possible.

But Philip said, ”I can’t, Master.”

This man spoke in a casual tone, as if not discussing an organized group of cannibals but rather a few mischievous kids.

”We have just so many people, more and we can’t afford them.”

”Perhaps you won’t believe it, but the world wasn’t like this before. These past ten years, I feel like I’ve been living in another world. Kings hit each other, blood spills everywhere without any clear reason. Before, no one in Velen would steal children, but now I’ve received dozens of missing child reports in just two months. We need to handle this first, otherwise, how can the farmers be at ease to till their land?”

”The human heart has gone bad, Master. I can only say that when I encounter the Cannibal Faction, I’ll clear them out, but if I don’t... in this world, even kings can only do so much, right?”