Bear School Astartes

The wooden door was suddenly pushed open against the gradually intensifying sound of wind and rain.

A woman stumbled inside from the doorway.

Her steps were faltering, and she looked very weak, but there was a certain determination about her.

She had a graceful figure and appeared quite adept at dressing herself. Her tight hunting outfit not only facilitated movement but also made her appear very attractive in such a disheveled state.

Though, it might be just because her figure was good, making anything she wore look appealing.

Strapped on her back was a sword, which was uncommon, as few people slung their swords behind them like a Demon Hunter.

Another thing that caught Lann’s attention was... the woman’s hair was a kind of mouse-grey that seemed familiar to him.

It wasn’t until after the woman entered that a ’boom’ sound came from outside the small inn.

Lann was also very familiar with that sound: the pressure difference phenomenon created when a portal opens and closes.

Under the gaze of everyone in the tavern, the woman stumbled a couple of steps before collapsing directly onto the floor.

Lann heard the group next to him, who were playing cards, mutter.

”What day is today? By the plague, a crowd of strange persons.”

”The battle just ended, and the world is not peaceful. The gods and ghosts are everywhere. If it doesn’t concern us, pretend you didn’t see it; that’s in the interest of your own life.”

The wisdom of farmers, though simple, sometimes contained truths born from experience.

After falling to the floor, the woman didn’t struggle at all. Instead, she lay there momentarily, as if finally able to catch her breath, resting her forehead against the wooden floor before slowly getting up.

”Is there any food?”

She asked weakly, struggling to stand.

”Anything will do... I could gnaw through a sack of onions right now!”

”Uh, we have some... but do you have money, missy?”

The innkeeper answered hesitantly.

The woman casually grabbed a few coins from a small pouch at her waist and tossed them onto the counter with a ’clink,’ then instructed.

”Quickly! Make whatever can be served fastest; time is of the essence for me.”

As she supported her weak body to walk towards the counter, she kept glancing outside the inn anxiously.

But outside, there were only clouds so thick they obscured the sunset, and the rain that pattered endlessly.

”If you’re really in such a hurry, madam... sst.”

On the other side of the counter, Belengar pushed over a bowl of fish soup that had just been served, the wooden bowl making a slight scraping noise on the wooden counter.

Without turning her head, the woman picked up the bowl, looking truly famished and exhausted.

She downed the fish soup in gulps, swallowing the fish with bones in just a few bites.

After letting out a long sigh, she finally had the time to look at the kind stranger who gave her a bowl of soup.

”Thank you, I haven’t eaten such delicious food in so long...”

She said urgently halfway, only to suddenly notice Belengar’s attire.

She froze as if she had seen something that greatly astonished her.

”Master Belengar?!”

Immediately after, she called out the correct name.

Now it was Belengar and the always attentive Lann’s turn to be astonished.

But the most shocking was yet to come.

The woman looked panic-stricken, stammering ceaselessly as she spoke.

”That outfit of yours... are you still doing Demon Hunter work? My god! Have I reached... what year is it now? Where is this?”

Seeing Belengar, the woman, midway through her words, hurriedly turned her head to ask the innkeeper.

The innkeeper was clearly bewildered by the unexpected situation, his caution rising as he eyed the woman and Belengar with mistrust.

”This is Velen, year 1263... what are the two of you doing at my place?”

That didn’t seem to matter at all, as the woman with mouse-grey hair suddenly became excited upon hearing the year.

Like an affectionate little girl, she stepped forward, pulling on the corner of Belengar’s cloak, and leaped into the air.

”It’s 1263? Haha! I remember!”

Belengar, seasoned as he was, was completely at a loss, merely staring blankly at her actions.

Soon after, the woman let go of Belengar’s cloak and started enthusiastically scanning the people in the tavern.

Almost immediately, she noticed the very conspicuous ’large target.’

Her high-heeled riding boots made a ’thump-thump’ sound on the wooden floor as she approached.

Then she leaned directly over the table in front of Lann, her emerald eyes smiling at the young Demon Hunter.

”Have we met before, madam?”

Lann asked, puzzled, from under his hood.

This woman... behaved as if she was very acquainted with him.

Moreover, her hair, eyes, and the scar on her face... did indeed seem familiar to him.

Just like Ciri... exactly the same.

But how could that be?

”We’ve not only met, but we are as familiar as can be, my good sir.”

Her voice was as clear as a oriole’s, but carried a strength tempered by trials.

”I know your character very well, so forgive me for not explaining in detail. Because time is truly tight, and I’m sure that even if I say nothing, you won’t stand idly by while witnessing a woman in such a dire situation, will you?”

She said this with a smiling manner that was like a fox that had successfully stolen a chicken.

”No, I think we’re not that familiar, and I generally don’t like meddling.”

Lann’s face was half-hidden under the shadow of the hood as he spoke coldly.

”Ha, save those lies for outsiders.”

She leaned in with a mischievous smile that felt familiar to Lann.

Because he didn’t feel any danger, only puzzled, Lann didn’t firmly block her.

It didn’t take long for the young Demon Hunter to realize the consequences of being lenient.

”Hng?!”

Lann’s eyes widened in the shadow of his hood.

The woman, with a mischievous grin, directly bit onto Lann’s lips!

It was less of an amorous kiss and more a fierce plunder.

It felt as if she had been waiting for this moment for too long, to the point of impatience.

It made Lann feel like he had become a victim!

The woman aggressively and actively plundered from Lann, until Lann, regaining his senses, leaned back and pushed her away.

”Are you crazy?!”

Lann exclaimed in shock.

But the woman who was pushed away only licked the shiny liquid from the corner of her mouth with a smile as she extended her tongue back.

”It’s just as delicious as I imagined. Additionally...”

The woman reached out, tugging at the clasp of Lann’s cloak collar, seriously looking into the Demon Hunter’s eyes as she spoke.

”Don’t always treat me as a child! I warn you, treat me as a woman! A mature woman, capable of being responsible for her choices and love! Otherwise, once I grow accustomed to this power, I will definitely...”

The woman’s headless, incomprehensible threat was cut short.

Suddenly, an eerie cold feeling pierced strongly and abruptly into the inn’s walls.

The sound of raindrops hitting the wooden walls turned into the noise of ice pellets striking wood.

In the early summer, the people in the inn, who were watching the scene unfold, were terrified to find their breath could be seen in the air!

At the counter, Belengar, who had been merely watching with curiosity, suddenly turned ashen.

The woman, too, released her grip on Lann’s cloak clasp without finishing her sentence.

Before withdrawing her hand, she still gazed intently at Lann.

”There’s an evil air in the air, non-human screams on the wind, the beasts are scared too... what happened?”

Lann asked in a deep voice, watching the retreating woman.

”It’s the Wild Hunt!”

This phrase was not spoken by the strange woman, but by Belengar.

”Close the windows tightly, innkeeper!”

”Wild Hunt?” the innkeeper asked in terror, ”Those ghosts?”

”Don’t be afraid, the Wild Hunt will pass by high above. In the summer, they only skim through the sky, but children might be scared because the Wild Hunt brings nightmares, so it’s best to close the windows tightly.”

The Old Demon Hunter’s knowledge of monsters was solid and seasoned, and he might indeed have encountered the Wild Hunt.

However, the strange woman beside him quietly remarked.

”But today... they won’t just ’skim the sky’ and be done.”