Bear School Astartes

The feeling came very suddenly, and yet... it was very strange.

It was like when you’re feeling all cool and clean over your whole body, and suddenly a bucket of sticky, stinking swill that reeks of rancid grease gets knocked over not far away, and then that swill starts spreading rapidly in your direction, about to splash onto your boots.

It stirred up an instinctive sense of disgust and repulsion, along with the anxiety and restlessness dragged along by those emotions.

Lann practically jolted upright with a shiver, the soft grass beneath him scraping out a short, sharp ”shff” at his sudden movement.

”Meow-woo?”

The Rong Buqiu, who had been lazily sprawled on its back on Lann’s belly, was instantly flung to the ground. The little cat rolled over, and tiny bits of grass ended up stuck to its small triangular ears.

When it came to a stop on the grass, it looked at its boss in puzzlement, not understanding what was going on.

The Qilin, whose belly Lann had been using as a pillow, also lifted its long, relaxed neck in a jolt, turning its head to look at Lann in confusion.

In their eyes, Lann had suddenly snapped upright, wariness flashing in his gaze for no apparent reason.

Their senses were half a beat slower than Lann’s.

But very quickly, that sticky, gloomy, nauseating feeling was noticed by the two of them as well.

”Wooo!”

The yellow, white, and black fur on the Elu Cat suddenly puffed up, hair bristling!

A burst of crackling static erupted all at once from the Qilin’s body.

The atmosphere... was off!

The three of them looked at one another, confirming that this was no illusion.

”The atmosphere around Rossga Castle has been polluted?”

Lann narrowed his eyes slightly, voicing his uncertainty.

In this world, ”atmosphere” often represents the attribute of a region as it’s influenced by a certain power.

The Dark Forest makes people feel chaotic and disoriented, while this patch of woodland that Radagast opened up has long been dominated by his Magic because he lives and moves around here year-round.

It gives off a sort of idle, leisurely warmth.

But if the atmosphere of a region represents that it’s shrouded by some kind of power or Magic...

Then right now, this unabashed, rampaging aura spreading to the vicinity of Rossga Castle, does it mean that...

”Some power is invading its way in!”

Lann murmured, stepping smartly out from the makeshift shelter they were staying in, scanning the surroundings with vigilance.

At the same time, Rong Buqiu and the Qilin didn’t dally either; they both geared up and followed him out on full alert.

As they darted out of the shelter, their gear gave off crisp metallic clinks where the buckles hadn’t been fastened tight.

The Magic in this world didn’t seem to have any flashy sound-and-light effects; it was very different from the Magic Middle Ages.

Most of it was the kind that worked silently after casting, to the point that Radagast’s spells earlier had looked a bit like the tricks of a street charlatan.

So to the naked eye, there was no visible change around Rossga Castle at all; only the atmosphere had inexplicably grown tense.

But the Demon Hunter’s nostrils flared, and the wariness on his face deepened.

...It just looked like nothing had changed, that was all.

As that alien atmosphere invaded the bounds of Rossga Castle, the mushrooms that had originally given off a pleasant fungal fragrance began to exude a stench.

The soft, clean stretches of grass were starting to wither, and decay was rapidly spreading from the edges.

Disgusting poisonous insects spontaneously crawled out from within the blossoms on the trees.

The many small animals that usually lived scattered around Rossga Castle, basking in the leisurely atmosphere Radagast had steeped into this place—mice, birds, fawns...

All of them were now scrambling desperately toward the little wooden cabin.

They were anxious and terrified, and as they passed by Lann, they looked up at him with helpless eyes that carried almost human-like pleading.

”I understand. You all go inside first.”

Lann spoke calmly and steadily.

As he spoke, he opened Radagast’s drafty wooden door and let all the small animals inside.

”Yoo~”

The little deer passing by Lann let out a grateful bleat, lowering its head to bump lightly against Lann’s calf.

The mouse families that had brought their whole households also thanked him.

Lann rested his hand on the hilt at his waist, standing before the open door, eyes fixed on the distant edge of the forest.

Rong Buqiu had drawn its sword as well, standing by Lann’s side.

The Qilin twisted its neck around to look back at the animals trembling inside the wooden cabin.

It was silent for a moment, then snorted a blast of hot air from its big nostrils and turned its head back.

Beneath the draped silk rune cloth, the crackling of static grew even stronger.

Suddenly, the branches at the edge of the forest not far away began to shake!

Amid the rustling of leaves, Radagast burst out in a state of utter panic!

It was a stark contrast to the easy, carefree mood he’d been in just a few hours ago when they parted ways!

His old face looked like he was on the verge of bursting into sorrowful tears.

Radagast was cupping both hands in front of his chest; when he got closer, Lann saw that what the scruffy Wizard was holding was the Great Hedgehog Spirit who’d just exchanged greetings with them earlier!

Now it was already at the point where it was breathing out but hardly breathing in, weak as could be.

Lann knew that the Great Hedgehog Spirit was Radagast’s good friend.

And now, that friend was lying in his palms, on the brink of death right before his eyes.

”What in damnation is this?! What the hell is going on?!”

Radagast spoke with a sob in his voice, even starting to ramble incoherently.

He cradled the great hedgehog in his arms, so anxious he was almost hopping.

But his long life and experience still forced him to calm himself down.

Whether it’s something good or bad, getting worked up always ruins things in the end.

”I have to save him, Lann!”

Radagast hurried past the Demon Hunter and strode toward the inside of Rossga Castle.

There were many herbs and many tools in there, he was sure he’d find something useful!

”Do what you can, Radagast.”

Lann said calmly.

”I’ll hold the outside.”

After Radagast stepped through that drafty wooden door, Lann pulled it shut from the outside.

And the moment Lann shut the door and turned around, at the edge of the forest, those branches and leaves once again rustled with an unsettling sound.

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

”You’re going to get better! Sebastian, I will cure you!”

Radagast muttered as if hypnotizing himself.

He swept all the clutter off the table in one motion, then laid the great hedgehog on it and turned to rummage through the messy room.

The hedgehog family, who had arrived a little ahead of him, hurriedly clambered onto the table, wobbling as they tried to crowd closer to check on their kin.

”Don’t crowd him!” Radagast’s hands never stopped searching, but when he glanced back and saw the great hedgehog surrounded, he shouted at once.

There was lingering fear and reproach in his voice.

”For heaven’s sake! Move back! Give him some fresh air! Can’t you see he’s barely breathing?!”

Scolded by Radagast, the hedgehog family also backed away in fright, opening a space around him.

But they still refused to get off the table, their human-like little eyes full of worry.

Radagast tried the potions he himself had brewed, then the fumigation of burning dried herbs... he practically used every piece of equipment in the house.

But the great hedgehog still showed no improvement; he curled up on the table, and in the end even those reflexive spasms were starting to fade.

Radagast was on the verge of despair, and at that moment, from outside Rossga Castle came a chilling rustling sound.

The sound carried a natural evil, an eerie quality, sketching out the image of some huge arthropod sliding its limbs through the grass.

Even with his mind a complete mess from his friend’s critical condition, Radagast still knew very clearly—this sound should never be heard anywhere near Rossga Castle!

How could this be happening?!

Anxiety, panic, disbelief...

Earlier he had been so focused on his friend’s illness that he had almost completely ignored the change in atmosphere across his domain—and what might have followed behind him on his way back.

These negative emotions might sound exaggerated for a Wizard who had lived at least a few thousand years, but Radagast knew better than anyone.

If all this now was real and not some auditory hallucination or illusion... then the horrific truth behind these signs...

Radagast shuddered uncontrollably, his eyes turning terrified as something surfaced in his mind.

”Screech!”

Suddenly! A sharp, ripping sound like something cleaving the air rang out from outside the house.

Crisp and clean, without the slightest hesitation.

Immediately after, that horrible sound of limbs sliding through the grass broke off and turned into a shrill cry of pain!

”Squeee!”

It was the death scream of some evil creature, accompanied by the thumping roll of round, fat spider limbs tumbling across the grass.

In the end, those severed limbs rolled several times and finally bumped lightly against Rossga Castle’s crooked wooden wall, making a single ”polite knock.”

Through the murky glass windows of Rossga Castle, one could see the black silhouette of some evil arthropod outside, and when another massive shadow flashed past, only half of the creature’s shadow was left.

This cascade of images and sounds was like opening a crack of clarity and light in Radagast’s muddled mind.

”This isn’t an illness... it’s evil, sophisticated Witchcraft!”

Radagast murmured in sudden realization.

And only Magic can defeat Magic!

Stopping his futile efforts, Radagast, amid the cutting whoosh of blows outside, the Elu Cat’s sharp cries, and the pounding of hooves, twisted the crystal from the tip of his own Magic Staff.

Cradling the almost-rigid great hedgehog in his hands, he pressed the sharp end of the teardrop-shaped crystal against the hedgehog’s mouth.

His eyes suddenly rolled upward, showing only the whites, and his mouth began to mutter a slurred incantation, like unconscious babbling.

The chant was no human tongue, but the moment it was spoken, an inexplicable aura began to surge.

The animals gathered in the house all instinctively clustered around the Wizard, as if lending him their strength.

At the same time, the crystal pressed to the great hedgehog’s lips began to act like a vacuum, drawing out an evil substance like black ink from his mouth.

The crystal, originally a clear pale blue, darkened to a deep blue as it filled.

When no more ”ink” could be drawn from the great hedgehog’s mouth, Radagast suddenly slumped as if drained, gulping in a huge breath, and his upturned eyes returned to normal.

The animals scattered, showing no signs of anything amiss.

The Sebastian in Radagast’s hands gave a couple of small coughs, the spines on his back spreading again, and his human-like little eyes opened once more.