Bear School Astartes

Wolf remained silent behind Lann, but his demeanor was noticeably different from before, lacking the cold, ninja-like atmosphere.

At this moment, he seemed more like a primary school student who had been scolded and didn’t dare to make a sound.

After all, considering the situation, if Lann hadn’t stopped him just now, he would most likely have drawn his sword directly after meeting Lady Butterfly. And during the ensuing clash, he wouldn’t have said a word until life or death was decided.

After all, when Owl and Butterfly were teaching him, the principle was ’ninjas speak less, act more’.

Wolf used the key to open the door of the hidden Buddhist Hall.

Pushing the door open and entering, what lay before him was a massive statue of the Eleven-faced Avalokitesvara, while on both sides of the hall, countless small Buddha statues were arranged like fish scales on the walls.

The Hirata’s son, clad in white pajamas, stood dazedly in front of the Eleven-faced Avalokitesvara.

The child’s thin, fair feet stepped on the ground of the Buddhist Hall, and his hair, black with a hint of white, swayed in the firelight.

It seemed he was also under an illusion spell.

Lann was unsure of what the illusion here looked like, but it seemed quite similar to being hit by the [Yakxi Rune].

Wolf noticeably took a sharp breath upon seeing the boy.

He immediately stepped forward, crouched in front of the boy, clasped his hands, and clapped. After two or three claps, the boy snapped out of the illusion.

The child had not yet realized why he was there, but from the shoulders of the towering Eleven-faced Avalokitesvara, an old woman’s voice rang out.

The voice carried an unmistakable hostility.

”Long time no see...”

”Son of Owl. And the foreign warrior.”

Wolf looked at Lady Butterfly, who clearly bore no good intentions, and raised his hand to shield the boy behind him.

”Lord Yuzi, please go to Lann.”

Feeling a stinging sense of crisis, the ninja slowly drew his sword.

The boy clenched his small fists, his lips trembling.

”And, what about you?”

”I must complete...what I ought to complete.”

Wolf unsheathed his samurai sword, saying something that sounded quite impressive.

But Lann, who was listening from the sidelines, pursed his lips and smacked his forehead with his palm.

Before coming in, I told you to explain it clearly, and you just said, ’what I ought to complete’?

If I were Lady Butterfly, I would think you mean ’kill the guardian and take the boy’!

...East Japanese people can’t speak properly, can they?! Can they!

Up ahead, two agile and fierce ninjas began to clash, sparks flying from the kunai and long blades in their hands.

Their battle range was almost three-dimensional; the transparent threads in mid-air, the wooden pillars in the hall, even the simple recoil of their mid-air skirmish...all became their method to stay aloft.

The boy ran to Lann’s side, his height not even reaching Lann’s thigh.

His eyes were teary but he still pursed his lips, unwilling to let the tears of tension and sorrow fall, instead forcing himself to remain calm.

”Lann, l-let’s leave quickly!”

”I can’t fall into the hands of the Inner Mansion, or else the Hirata family, Iwami, or even the entire...will be finished!”

The importance he hinted at made Lann slightly intrigued, and being looked at with a strong front of sorrow by a cute and delicate child did make one feel uneasy.

But Lann still grabbed the boy’s arm, heading towards where the two ninjas were clashing.

”Lann! What are you doing!?”

”Stay calm, Lord Yuzi. I just feel we have some misunderstandings to clear up.”

”Eh?”

Approaching the battling ninjas, Lann raised his right arm slightly, the solid armor plates on his arm ’clang-clanging’ to deflect a few slender kunai flying from the battlefield.

The two continued fighting, as ninjas act without considering ’mercy’ when no task changes occur.

Their ninja skills were unsurpassed, with no clear winner emerging anytime soon.

So Lann simply leaned with Yuzi against a large wooden pillar, watching the duel and speaking.

”You ninjas don’t seem to like explaining things clearly...maybe it’s a professional issue. Anyway, I’m one for straightforward sword fights; since you’re not being honest, I’ll be honest instead.”

Yuzi, his expression blankly puzzled, was led along by Lann, looking up at the rather helpless Demon Hunter.

”I met a ninja cloaked in a Raptor Feather Cloak outside the estate, claiming to be a ninja from Iwami Country. Is that information correct?”

Lann tilted his head to ask the boy.

The child nodded hesitantly, ”Raptor Feather Cloak...is the Sent Falcon group.”

”Alright, this ninja from Iwami claimed to be caught in a pre-set ambush, couldn’t even escape, and ended up mortally wounded on the roadside. At his life’s end, he said only two people could pre-arrange his mission route: Owl or Lady Butterfly.”

”Meaning the traitor is either of those two.”

The clash between Wolf and Lady Butterfly continued, but upon hearing Lann’s information, his already sharp eyes suddenly showed more killing intent.

But Lady Butterfly, being discussed, remained as calm as a dead object.

Lann immediately changed his tone.

”But Lady Butterfly bringing the young master to the hidden Buddhist Hall shows her allegiance — she’s loyal.”

”And when commanding the foot soldiers in Castle Town to clear bandits, I pieced together the defense structure at the time of chaos from nearly a hundred people’s mouths...it was a setup for the Hirate family’s defenses to collapse upon impact. The only person who could dictate that structure was —”

”That giant ninja, Owl.”

In the tension of the blade fight, Wolf’s serene eyes suddenly twitched.

Lady Butterfly immediately noticed this slight change but rather than taking action during this moment of distraction, she thoughtfully leapt back, temporarily disengaging from the confrontation with Wolf.

”You didn’t know Owl’s plan? You didn’t follow him?”

The old woman squinted slightly, speaking to Wolf with a doubtful tone and look.

Wolf, though still in a sword-holding stance, was now slightly unsteady with his grip.

”Foster Father...how so? Wounded unto death before the Inner Mansion door he was!”

Lann took comfort that his initial mentionled to discussion; once they started discussing, it was a good thing.

Ninjas who fight to the death without a single word of effective communication, now that was truly fatal.

”Regarding the fatal injury at the front porch...”

Lann raised his hand, signaling to interject.

”I arrived late at the Inner Mansion’s front porch, finding no sign of Owl’s corpse. I consider myself somewhat skilled in trace analysis. There indeed were signs of a giant person’s grave injury unto death. But immediately following were indications of that massive body standing and leaving.”

”Wolf...”

The Demon Hunter locked eyes with the ninja.

”In this world, there shouldn’t exist something moving after death, or something not dying, right?”

Wolf pressed his lips, forcing an answer from between his teeth.

”Never...heard of anything.”

Lann nodded calmly.

”Then the answer is quite clear.”

But the boy beside him lowered his head, not wanting others to see his reaction.