Bear School Astartes

Lann’s description was a bit off, because the guy who climbed onto a makeshift podium stacked with barrels in the bustling crowd was more than just ’bulky’.

”It’s an itinerant preacher.” Belengar’s lips moved in displeasure, spitting to the side, ”Pah, fanatical fool.”

The old Demon Hunter made a sharp evaluation.

”There is only one law in this world!” The short and fat priest shouted at the constantly flowing crowd in the market, already almost roaring. ”Divine Law!”

”The whole world must obey this law! All life on earth is the same! Spells and magic violate the Divine Law! All wizards are destined for extinction!”

”The day of God’s wrath is near! Fire rain will descend from the sky! Destroy them and that wicked little island!”

”Luoxia Palace, Airetusa, Gastang Palace will all collapse! Along with the heretics inside plotting conspiracies! The high walls will crumble...”

”And then we’ll have to rebuild those damned walls.” A mason muttered as he squeezed past Lann without looking up.

His satchel was filled with masonry tools, the exterior covered in white lime stains.

”I advise the pious and kind-hearted.” The preacher on the podium continued shouting, ”Don’t trust wizards! And don’t seek their help or advice!”

”Don’t be deceived by their beautiful or wise appearance, eloquence is the trick of a cheater! To be honest, wizards are like painted tombs, clean and tidy outside, but inside only rotten flesh and bones!”

”Look at him, spitting all over.” A woman wrapped in a headscarf with fish scales on her cuffs commented. ”He must be envious of the wizards.”

”Of course.” The mason agreed, ”Look at him. His bald head is like a boiled egg, his belly can hang to his knees. Male warlocks may be old, but they’re neither fat nor bald, they seem sensible. And female warlocks... oh, they’re so beautiful...”

A man who set up a shoe repair stall in the middle of the road countered, ”That’s because wizards sold their souls to the devil for looks!”

”You foolish cobbler, thanks to the female warlocks of Airetusa, you have work to do now, otherwise you wouldn’t have enough to eat in Velen!”

”Not only itinerant preachers, but also missionaries of the Eternal Fire.”

Standing in the crowd, Lann spoke softly.

At the same time, his eyes under the hood looked at the priest on the podium.

On his neck hung an abstract metal badge, unclear whether a torch or brazier.

Symbolizing the worship of flames.

”Alright, still the stupidest among fools.” Belengar confirmed from Lann’s mouth, expressionlessly supplementing his previous description.

”Have they come into the city to preach now? No one cares?” Lann said, frowning.

He remembers before, only encountering these people sometimes while wandering the countryside earning money with his mentor.

The distressed crowd is a good target for preaching.

And it’s cheap.

Back when villages hired Demon Hunters for work, Eternal Fire people dared not to fight monsters.

But once the Demon Hunters killed the monster, they had the guts to murder or chase away the Demon Hunters asking for payment.

Then villagers would be grateful to the Eternal Fire.

Grateful that the Eternal Fire drove away monsters and incidentally protected their property from evil mutants.

Everything was thanks to the Eternal Fire.

Belengar also looks disgustedly at the preacher repeating his sermons. Although he already disliked his identity as a Demon Hunter, the Eternal Fire cares less.

So whether before or now, Belengar maintains his disdain for this sect, which was moderately benign a hundred years ago but is now increasingly extreme.

Yet even so, he still shakes his head at Lann.

”This involves preaching rights, what king can limit preaching rights?”

Unlike the cultural environment where Lann grew up, religion and belief penetrate all aspects of this magical Middle Ages, a fundamental issue like livelihood.

Though Demon Hunters and warlocks generally believe in nothing, their groups are minority among minorities, outsiders among outsiders.

In a pervasive faith-driven environment, lack of faith is seen as unreliable, untrustworthy.

Moreover, this is one major reason why Demon Hunters and warlocks have bad reputations.

Because they have no faith, others think they must be evil.

As the saying goes, ’justified by faith’.

”But now they do seem to be overstepping.” Belengar shook his head, ”In the past, they shouldn’t have easily entered Gos Velen to preach.”

”Most city folks aren’t exactly poor, and this place relies on female warlocks’ livelihood. Preachers aren’t stupid, why waste time here? But now...”

The old Demon Hunter speculated uncertainly.

”Is it because the world is chaotic, outside preaching is flourishing, making them overconfident? Do they think coming to Gos Velen will yield results?”

Chaos indeed benefits preaching, there’s no flaw in that logic.

Lann looked strangely at the Eternal Fire missionary who had come to preach in Gos Velen, but still shook his head and walked away with Belengar.

They were now in the middle of the marketplace square, pushed by the crowd, and figured it was better to move forward rather than try to leave, they could at least continue wandering the market.

After walking a little further, the missionary’s passionate, inflammatory speech was drowned out by the noise.

Yet, there are always new things at the market.

In the center of the square, the sound of drums suddenly rang out, along with shouts for the crowd to quiet down.

Although the crowd seemed wholly indifferent, the herald standing on the wooden platform was equally unconcerned.

He had a well-trained fortitude and knew how to use his voice.

”Tell those around you!” He shouted loudly with ample energy, shaking out a roll of parchment from his palm and unfurling it to the crowd.

”Half-Elf Hugo Ansbach has been declared wanted! Because he once provided lodging and food to the wicked elves of the Squirrel Faction.”

”Also Justin Ingvar, the Dwarf Blacksmith, who forged arrows for those culprits.”

”The Mayor has ordered that these two must be apprehended. Whoever captures them will receive a bounty of fifty Kronas. Anyone daring to provide them food or shelter will be considered an accomplice.”

”If they are caught in a village rather than the wild, then all the villagers must pay a fine...”

”Who would shelter a Half-Elf?” someone shouted from within the crowd, ”we should go to the farms and capture them all, all non-human races should be captured!”

”Let’s not bother with imprisoning them,” someone else suggested, ”straight to the gallows is quicker.”

The two Demon Hunters passed by the proclamation stage and continued through the crowded, noisy market without stopping.

”Even the environs of big cities like Gos Velen are now plagued with large scale Squirrel Faction unrest?”

Lann frowned, bending down to ask.

”Unrest.” Belengar replied succinctly, ”and it’s getting fiercer.”

”The City Defense Army has already gone out to sweep multiple times, killed many, but it’s useless, the unrest keeps intensifying.”

”They indiscriminately attack and kill all humans they see in the wild: merchants, carriage repairers, medicine sellers, farmers... all are slain.”

”Look, we’ve now walked out of the market. In the past, these stalls used to be set up much further ahead before reaching the end.”

Lann shook his head and let out a small sigh.

Even though he had previously reached an agreement with the leader of a small Squirrel Faction guerrilla team, Iophis, and the Lady Green Dragon Sachia, who had transformed into a human.

Together, they devised a potential path that could greatly advance peaceful coexistence between non-human races and humans.

But execution takes time, influence spreading requires time, and it needs time for practice to test whether the idea works in reality.

These Squirrel Faction members committing killings outside the cities and villages deserve no sympathy.

What Lann regretted was that under the current circumstances, their actions only exacerbated racial tensions.

”All this can be temporarily set aside.”

Belengar said as he walked.

”Let’s talk about your matters. Shall we proceed as usual?”

Now they had walked beyond the scope of the marketplace square, the crowd still numerous, but no longer causing congestion.

The old Demon Hunter had partnered with Lann, looking out for each other for a long time.

Since the agreement with the Lady of the Lake, Belengar had been fully aware the whole time.

Whenever Lann came back looking for him, typically, no need to say much, the old Demon Hunter would prepare and replenish the odds and ends for him.

At Airetusa Academy, the esteemed Headmistress always wanted to provide him with the most expensive and best supplies.

But only those who have experienced outdoor hunting and adventure would accurately know what such work and journeys most require.

If Margaret were to prepare the supplies instead, Lann figured the hard bread and salted meat in his alchemy pouch might turn into sweet cakes.

”Yes, let’s start with the usual kit.”

Lann nodded familiarly at Belengar.