Bear School Astartes

When the Demon Hunters, Dandelion, and Ciri came out, they were met by Hacksaw, who was still smiling but didn’t look friendly.

And there was Stuart, with his leg bandaged but still in armor, leading a group of more than fifty soldiers.

These soldiers were all injured as well.

But now, the soldiers who fought side by side at dusk were subtly placing their hands on their weapon hilts.

”What does this mean?”

Lann stood at the front, calmly questioning.

Behind him, Geralt was holding Ciri close. The White Wolf was keeping her head down so she couldn’t see much.

”What does it mean?” As if hearing the biggest joke, Hacksaw suddenly raised his steel scepter and smashed it to the ground!

”Bang.”

”It means you’re not some so-called Bordeaux at all! You’re Lann of Sintra! Right?!”

The loud declaration was like a bomb thrown onto a calm lake!

The previously peaceful and joyous camp suddenly had a lot of people gathering over.

”Lann of Sintra... is the Hunter Marquis?!”

”The hero who killed the Niflgaard people’s lapdog!”

Lann saw the little girl who had come to bring flowers earlier, her eyes shining brightly.

Lann’s ’trial’ by Steza had obviously been widely circulated in this nation on guard against Niflgaard.

So much so that the little girl couldn’t believe that she had already given flowers to her idol.

Exclamations arose one after another around, mostly positive emotions.

But the next moment...

”Ah! A hero?!” Hacksaw emphasized the word with a sarcastic tone.

His tone clearly lowered the surrounding voices by a notch.

”We Sintra regard him as a hero, but what has this ’hero’ done while we were suffering?”

”He seemed to neither appear on the battlefield against the Niflgaard people nor in Sintra City!”

”Yes, he’s helped us a lot recently. But isn’t the root of our miserable lives being defeated by the Niflgaard people? Where was he then? That legendary strength capable of fighting a hundred by himself, if it appeared on the battlefield, surely the outcome would have been different, right?”

So now, the voices around gradually disappeared.

People looked at each other blankly, the shift in public opinion making them dizzy.

”And what’s more important, everyone?”

Hacksaw spread his arms and turned around.

”The reputation of the Hunter Marquis isn’t just big here, isn’t it just as big in the eyes of the Niflgaard people?!”

”Think carefully, ladies and gentlemen!”

”Would the enemy abandon the pursuit of such a valuable target? We were just a group of unfortunate people seeking livelihood, and the Niflgaard people didn’t care much about whether we stayed or left, unless they encountered us.”

”But what if he’s with us?”

”Look at his performance in the battle at dusk, everyone! How impressive he was! The Niflgaard people must have recognized him. Yes, we’re less than a day’s journey from the border, but what if!”

”What if the Niflgaard people dispatch a large cavalry to capture him?! Wouldn’t we suffer along with him?”

Once again, the surrounding sounds changed from silence to whispers, like a swarm of bees hovering overhead.

The eyes of the refugees also shifted from initial joy to fear, terror... and even suspicion.

Lann wanted to say something.

But when he saw the little girl who had given them flowers widen her eyes as if she wanted to say something, yet beside her, a woman covered her mouth.

The woman’s hands were cracked, a mix of black and red, the black was dirtied skin, the red was exposed flesh underneath. Clearly, they were hands hardened by labor.

The woman looked at the Demon Hunters in fear.

So Lann didn’t want to speak anymore.

”So...” Hacksaw’s voice sank like a hook, ready to pull out the secrets from people’s hearts.

”What should we do to avoid being brought down with him?”

Again, there was a whisper like the flapping of bee wings, with tension, anxiety, and fear spreading like a plague in the sound.

Finally, a tentative, timid voice spoke: ”Let him go?”

This voice started small, but then quickly caught the attention of the three keen-eared Demon Hunters.

They looked sharply in that direction.

But in this situation, any action could become the spark to ignite the powder keg.

They were already close to the border, there shouldn’t be any danger. They’re Demon Hunters, nothing should happen to them, right?

Perhaps if he doesn’t stay with us, it’ll be easier?

This group of refugees, struggling to survive in the flames of war for so long, mostly lived until now for this chance.

And now, the Demon Hunter... or rather Lann, had become a safety hazard in their crossing of the border.

So, with Hacksaw’s tacit support, and the inertia of ’law can’t punish the masses’ thinking.

The voices of ’let him go’ grew louder and louder.

Ciri and Dandelion’s faces turned red with anger, while Ged and Geralt beside them held them back.

Lann slowly moved forward, his body exuding an overwhelming aura, and merely moving silenced the surrounding voices.

He was very close to Hacksaw, looking down at him.

”So, this is what you want me to do?”

Hacksaw still wore a smiling face: ”Yes, for more people not to be pursued, and for you Demon Hunters to break free from our burden and move quickly. Let’s go our separate ways, Lann.”

After a brief and oppressive silence, Lann nodded: ”If that’s what you want, then I’ll accept it. Lastly, I sincerely hope you can smoothly leave Sintra.”

Perhaps it was an illusion, but Lann noticed a subtle twitch on Hacksaw’s face, yet his smiling eyes narrowed even more, making it impossible to see his gaze.

”Thank you... thank you for your blessing, Lann. Leave now, to put everyone at ease. I’ll have sixty warriors accompany you until you’re far enough away.”

Lann turned and left, Ged and Geralt took a deep look around, and many people lowered their heads when meeting their gaze.

Ciri, with red-rimmed eyes, looked at the still-smiling Hacksaw, spat on the ground, and followed Geralt.

As for Dandelion, even almost being trampled by the crowd during the dusk battle didn’t leave such a look on his face.

He gritted his teeth, face stiff with an expression of disdain.

”Ah! Sintra! Land of warriors and soldiers... I’ve truly witnessed today what ’courage’ means.”

With that, he shouldered his lute and also followed the Demon Hunters’ backs.

Hacksaw’s ever-smiling face seemed unchangeable.

He nodded to the surrounding sixty warriors who seemed to be used to drive away the Demon Hunters.

”Go.”