Bear School Astartes

This place is so close to Airetusa, and almost the next moment after Lann injected his Chaos Magic Power into the conical crystal, a telepathic link burst forth from the crystal.

Then, before Lann could speak.

A ”bang” sounded.

The change in atmospheric pressure caused a moderate explosion sound.

Behind Lann, a portal opened in mid-air.

Wearing only a nightgown, a lithe and seductive figure pounced directly onto Lann’s back.

”Ha! Surprise!”

Margaret’s voice came close to Lann’s ear, her moist breath carrying a whiff of rose-scented perfume.

At first, Lann felt pretty good.

Margaret hugged him from behind, her hands wandering over his shoulders, chest, and waist...

”Wait, why do I feel your hands are going lower?”

The Demon Hunter’s voice was slightly panicked.

”Is this my imagination?”

The Female Warlock with flaming red lips, however, gave a mischievous smile by his ear.

”No.”

Margaret’s breath fluttered the fine hairs near Lann’s ear.

”My hands are indeed going lower... You’ve kept me ’hungry’ for so long, don’t you think you should take responsibility?”

Contrary to the Female Warlock’s expectations, the young Demon Hunter did not merely pretend to resist with empty words while his body acted honestly.

He gently yet firmly pried away the ’experienced driver’s’ hands trying to steer him.

”I missed you too, Rita.”

The Demon Hunter’s tone was somewhat awkward.

”But really...the setting right now isn’t quite right.”

”Hmm?”

The Female Warlock was momentarily stunned before realizing the ’horse’ she sat on seemed unusually high.

Moreover, she seemed to have touched something furry against Lann’s chest.

A helmeted kitty cat’s head peeked out from over Lann’s shoulder, tilting its head curiously at the Female Warlock behind him, and let out a ’meow?’

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

”This is why I called you out here.”

The Demon Hunter spread his hands in the small grove, turned around, and patted the belly of the kirin next to him.

”It’s way too conspicuous. I can pass as a tall, strong mysterious figure in a hooded cloak. I can’t hide it though.”

Lann’s alchemy pouch always carries a hooded cloak lined with pine oil and resin on the outside, for dealing with rainy weather.

Margaret, on the other hand, stood by holding a plush ball like a doll.

”What a pity.”

She said with a hint of regret.

”I thought after you came back, you would want to try some new tricks outside.”

Facing these ’high-level pros’ like the Female Warlocks, Lann still appeared somewhat immature.

Like now, Margaret showed no signs of shyness or awkwardness; her ease made Lann feel like there might be something wrong with himself instead.

”But you’re right; you do need to keep a low profile now.”

Margaret tugged on the strap of her nightgown, causing the deep neckline to create a flashy, undulating display.

However, in demeanor, the Female Warlock appeared very earnest.

When it comes to matters concerning Lann or her students, she is never frivolous.

”Lately, the rumors about you and the Demon Hunter have been getting more exaggerated.”

”At first, I was quite pleased to hear them, but later on, both Tishaya and I felt someone was deliberately using public opinion to inflate you. They are inflating you in a direction close to the unrealistic.”

”Some say you’re a hero from some regional myth, others say you’re humanity’s last hero before the apocalypse...yada yada a bunch of things, but they almost always end with the formation of some small cult.”

Margaret looked seriously at the Demon Hunter.

Although Lann frowned slightly, he did not seem surprised.

”An overly large reputation makes those restless individuals feel like they’ve found an opportunity to make a name for themselves. They probably don’t care what I think at all, or even believe those combat reports about me. They’re just using my reputation for their purposes.”

”And in this regard, your clear-headedness is utterly reassuring,” Margaret smiled and told Lann.

”The best course now is almost as if to vanish into thin air. And just a day back, you seem to have automatically understood the situation now.”

”Ha, if those male witches or witches I know had such a reputation, I bet nine out of ten would... haha.”

At the end, Margaret pursed her lips, smiling meaningfully.

Probably recalling the licentious lifestyle of warlocks and their weakness in adversity afterward.

In her past life as a member and even a high-level member of the warlocks groups, Margaret never thought anything wrong with this.

But seeing Lann step by step reaching today, overcoming hardships, and winning over difficulties, she herself, while maintaining her lavish and idle lifestyle, was no longer interested in that kind of debauched past life anymore.

”I haven’t borne such a great name, but at least I know what this is about and what might come next.”

Lann waved his hand dismissively.

Being a history enthusiast has its perk: while you haven’t eaten pork, you’ve at least seen pigs run.

Ardent faith and love often have nothing to do with the subject being worshipped, but can instead invite disaster.

Lann understood this point very well.

His current fame is too large, as felt from the small village of Duskwater alone.

Duskwater is just a village on the outskirts of Vizima, far from the initial outbreak and brutal frontlines of the war.

Even by hearsay, such reactions have come about.

What would those areas, that have truly experienced the pain and cruelty of war, be like?

Suffering breaks down human minds, and blind faith takes advantage.

The fanatic emotion likely to emerge in those places, Lann could imagine even without witnessing it firsthand.

Once a trend forms, it hardly relates to the initiator and certainly becomes less controllable.

”Staying here is correct, given such noble beasts...”

Margaret approached the kirin holding the kitty.

The ancient dragon just glanced at her casually before trying to taste the pine needles in this world’s woods on its own.

”Magnificent and graceful.”

Margaret’s palm glided over the kirin’s mane, seemingly entranced by its feel and color.

The kirin, known as a [phantom beast], though its combat ability because of youth might not yet match an ordinary golden lion, its noble and dignified appearance was undeniably captivating.

”If you were to ride it into town, even though the residents of Gos Velen are accustomed to magic, they would probably be in awe of its natural beauty.”

”Yes, yes, it’s very pretty.”

Lann squatted down, absent-mindedly agreeing while picking up some leaves from the ground, attempting to wipe the mud off his boots.

”So please, could you kindly open a portal?”