Bear School Astartes

”I-I won’t get infected with germs, right?” The fur merchant shivered as he followed behind Lann, asking, ”And even my hand can be saved?”

Having lost a lot of strength due to fear and his previous struggle with the Water Ghost, and being dug out from the damp soil by Lann, he spoke through chattering teeth.

”I said, as long as there’s a place to rest, treating your wound isn’t troublesome... Can you pull yourself together? You’re far from death.”

Lann, leading the way, glanced back at the fur merchant with a look of speechlessness.

This action made the merchant’s body tremble, as it was the first time he caught a glimpse of Lann’s faintly glowing eyes in the dim environment.

Earlier, while rescuing him, Lann intentionally kept his eyes lowered to avoid stimulating his already weakened nerves.

”You’re a... Demon Hunter?”

The fur merchant spoke cautiously, with a tone of amazement.

Earlier in the forest, from his perspective, everything was so dim that he could barely make out Lann’s figure.

”Yes, sir. But you should be more concerned about yourself right now.”

”Huh~ you’re right.” The fur merchant tried to take a deep breath, ”You’re right.”

”I know there’s a toll station on a bridge nearby, usually when passing through you can take a break there, we can head there, it’s only about a half-hour walk.”

By now, the sound of large raindrops hitting the leaves was gradually rising, growing louder and louder.

The thick rain clouds in the sky finally reached their limit, starting to condense into water.

The stifling and deadly air became fresh and comfortable as the rain fell.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t good news for the fur merchant.

The rain was draining what little vitality he had left.

Fortunately, the Water Ghost’s nest wasn’t far from the river.

Even a weak fur merchant could see the form of a Qilin across the river as they emerged from the already soaking wet forest.

A majestic and noble giant steed.

Amidst the rumbling thunder above, it did not appear frightened in the slightest, instead seemed quite content.

The fur merchant was visibly stunned at first, his unfocused gaze, weakened by injury, barely gathered some spirit.

His eyes swung between Lann’s silhouette, now fully revealed as they left the darkness of the woods, and the steed across the river.

”You... you’re Lann from Sintra?”

Supported by the Demon Hunter, the fur merchant spoke in a tone of disbelief.

After leaving the shadowy forest, Lann’s figure was fully exposed to him, especially as the Demon Hunter was not even wearing his hooded cloak.

Thus, the differences from an ordinary person were obvious.

But it was just a moment of surprise, after which the fur merchant returned to calmness.

His body felt terrible now, even if a figure from legendary songs stood before him, helping him escape the Water Ghost, he truly had no energy to think about anything else.

So all he could do was express some gratitude.

”Did I really hit the jackpot today? Truly an honor.”

”Whether it’s an honor or not, let’s discuss it after I fix your hand, buddy.”

Lann supported the fur merchant, waving toward the Qilin on the opposite riverbank. With a graceful leap, the Qilin, carrying Rong Buqiu, came to their side.

With the fur merchant guiding the way, they hurried toward the bridge toll station, braving the increasingly visible heavy rain.

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

”Hey, sir.” A soldier inside the toll station shouted from afar, ”You really picked the wrong time to come. To be honest, this timing couldn’t be worse.”

The soldier was correct, Lann couldn’t argue with that.

A bridge toll station, while typically having soldiers on duty, mostly involved shifts and sometimes the weapons were just propped against the wall.

But now, the whole toll station was on high alert.

The rain was heavy, yet the soldiers standing guard stopped Lann and the fur merchant from a distance when they approached, only communicating via shouts.

It showed a high degree of alertness.

And Lann could tell it was necessary.

The average person’s eyes couldn’t penetrate the rain curtain, but he could already hear the general situation inside the toll station.

This kind of toll station usually had three soldiers, a muleteer, and a collector who also served as a clerk. At most, a few passing merchants. But now, it was crowded.

At least thirty Temerian light infantrymen and over fifty Sword and Shield Soldiers camped around the low fences.

The rain was a disaster for the soldiers in quilted armor; they huddled together like a flock of chicks under the very limited eaves.

For those who couldn’t squeeze inside, they somehow pulled out a few large oilcloths, barely setting up a few rain shelters.

The wide-open doorway was bustling with people; the toll station inside had a fair number of troops as well.

On the slightly crooked observation point top, two soldiers holding crossbows were constantly vigilant of the surroundings.

Old bridge flooring housed several farmers’ ox-carts and two merchant carriages.

In the yard, an unhitched ox stood in the rain, hanging its head sorrowfully, looking at the muddy, manure-filled ground.

”We are only two people, and one of us is a wounded soldier.”

Lann brushed back his wet hair and replied loudly.

”If he continues to get drenched in the rain, he won’t make it.”

On the other side of the rain, the sergeant, who had called out, consulted with a few people around him, then finally relented.

”Helping those in trouble on the road is an unspoken moral obligation. Please come in. But please be cautious; everyone is on edge right now.”

The fur merchant’s face, which was already a bit pale, suddenly relaxed a lot.

Lann helped him onto the bridge, the Qilin’s hooves making a dull ’dada’ sound on the wooden bridge surface behind them.

At first, the two crossbowmen at the observation point were still staring at Lann and his companion as they approached, as was the sergeant who had been shouting.

But as the Demon Hunter and his steed gradually drew closer, the rain’s obscuration diminished with the closing distance...

”What the hell... shit!”

The crossbowman at the observation point exclaimed in surprise first.

As Lann and the Qilin approached, they gradually recognized the unusual size.

From behind the rain, they thought the injured person beside Lann was a child!

But now...

”This person...” The sergeant, who had been shouting upstairs, swayed a bit, instinctively pressed his steel helmet, but his eyes were fixed on the approaching figure below.

And those eyes widened more and more as the figure approached!

”Who goes there?”

The sergeant leaned out, not caring about being exposed to the rain, and asked from above.

”Lann.” The approaching Demon Hunter calmly looked up and said, ”Lann of Sintra.”

The sergeant, finally seeing the face up close, was stunned for a moment before he quickly ran down the wooden stairs with a ’thud thud thud.’

”Damn it, move! Move!”

After a burst of commotion, the panting sergeant pushed through the crowd and stood before Lann.

He was panting, perhaps out of nervous excitement or from that negligible bit of exertion earlier.

The sergeant opened and closed his mouth several times, not knowing what to say.

”I finally have the honor... to see you again, sir.”

In the end, he stammered out this sentence.

”Pardon me, soldier.” Lann raised an eyebrow at this, ”Have we met before? I don’t quite remember.”

”Ah, of course! Of course!” The sergeant first adjusted his helmet, then nervously wrung his hands together, even his smile appeared clumsy.

”It was during the Battle of Sodden Mountain, I was in Temeria’s Seventh Infantry Regiment, and you and your attendant charged past our line with your banner raised... it was truly an honorable and great battle! Many of us remember it to this day.”

On that battlefield then, it was the first time Lann fully unleashed his command and combat abilities, and perception of collective emotions.

Unlike fighting alone, under his adjustment and control, the whole Northern Alliance Army was influenced wherever they had contact and cooperation with the Ashen Knight Order led by him.

It was impossible not to be affected back then.

Boundless honor, indomitable will, invincible feelings... these emotions inspired every warrior.

On the battlefield, who could refuse these?

And these emotions were forged by Lann as he led his troops, breaking through one defense line after another!

For the soldiers on the battlefield, the shock Lann brought and the prestige born from it was even greater than that of their king.

”But why are you here?”

The sergeant voiced his confusion, while simultaneously driving away the gathered officers and soldiers like shooing flies.

”Make way! Make way! Letting the Duke of Sintra stand in the rain? Have you all gone mad?”

After finally creating a path, the sergeant apologized.

”Apologies, sir. I really didn’t recognize you earlier.”

”It’s not your fault, soldier.” Lann nonchalantly shook his head. ”I’m just looking for a place to shelter from the rain. You have your duties, no need to be so tense, I’m not your superior.”

After politely smiling at the surrounding soldiers who had gathered to watch, Lann led the injured man inside, with the Qilin following behind.

That smile silenced the buzzing whisperings around for a moment.

”This way for the wounded.” The sergeant led the way, ”We got attacked just last night. The military medic is treating the wounded inside now.”

”If we hadn’t arrived to reinforce in time, this toll station would’ve been burned to the ground.”

Lann guided the fur merchant into a shabby wooden hut as instructed by the sergeant.

This hut was among the better ones at the toll station, which wasn’t very large to begin with.

And before Lann and his group could enter, a corpse covered in a white sheet was carried out first.

The military medic, in between moving the body, noticed the sergeant’s arrival and reported,

”This one’s the one with the arrowhead lodged in his belly, didn’t make it through.”