Bear School Astartes

Chapter 370: 370. Red Robe

Watching Henrik haul Gascogne’s arm over his shoulder, supporting him as they walked. Lann’s expression was a bit helpless.

Regarding the beating Lann just gave, neither Gascogne, the involved party, nor the Old Hunter paid it much mind.

To forcibly restrain a beast-transformed hunter and pull him back into the human realm...

Normally, such a situation occurring outside the Night of the Hunt would call for a few hunters to handle together.

But on this Night of the Hunt, when even the city has collapsed, the two of them managed it on their own, which is no easy feat.

No one can expect more, Gascogne was simply grateful.

”Viola and the kids are at Yusefka Clinic, I think you should take him there first.”

The first half was to inform Gascogne of the situation, a sort of explanation for the trust he had placed in him.

The second half was directed at Henrik.

The two of them had originally planned to meet up with Gascogne and use the combined strength of three Hunters to take down a beast on the bridge in front of Church Town’s gate.

But in Gascogne’s current state, he didn’t look fit to fight.

Lann did not find the act of hunting the beasts itself necessary; he merely needed to investigate Church Town and figure out what this mysterious power that halted time and distorted human consciousness was.

He could just as easily enter Church Town from the Oton Chapel above.

”If you are determined to lay that beast to rest, after taking Gascogne there, you can come back to the chapel and find me, I’ll help.”

The Demon Hunter gestured to Henrik.

The Old Hunter lowered his head in silence for a moment, then reached out to press down on his triangular hat, nodding up and down to Lann. Indicating agreement with the plan, and also acknowledging the helping hand of the Demon Hunter.

The Old Hunter supported the Priest as they left, their steps seemed unsteady, but Lann wasn’t particularly worried.

The road to Yusefka Clinic had been cleared by them once, unless particularly unlucky with an oversized beast, Henrik should manage.

He is an Old Hunter, with rich experience being the strongest combat power of a Hunter.

After the bloody battle, the cold air again invaded Oton Cemetery.

A thin mist gathered on the ground here, giving the thick blood a frosty texture.

Lann turned and walked up the stairs.

Above Oton Cemetery is Oton Chapel, Henrik had taken him through once yesterday.

Re-entering this chapel, there was no change from last night, as if this abrupt Night of the Hunt had not extended here at all.

Many differently sized, varied shaped porcelain jars and earthen pots were placed in the corners of the chapel, some jars still having lit candles atop them.

Wax dripped down the candles, accumulating on the pots’ lids.

The incense here was very pungent, likely the reason the chapel remained undisturbed.

Even with Gascogne still fighting below in the cemetery, turning dust into blood mud, no bloodthirsty beast-transformed patients came up the stairs.

It was relatively safe here now, if Yusefka couldn’t accommodate too many people, it would serve as a sanctuary.

As Lann pondered this, he walked into the chapel.

But just as he passed by the jars at the entrance of the chapel...

”Hmm... is it a Hunter?”

Lann looked surprised to his side.

”Who are you?”

That was a... crone?

Lann could only describe his first impression this way.

Her arms were long, abnormally long, and bizarrely thin. Beneath her wrinkled skin, there seemed to be not a shred of fat or muscle, making her joints appear oversized.

She wore a ragged red robe, crouching low, like a lump of lifeless matter.

Looking at the traces around her, Lann felt she had been here for quite a while.

Perhaps when he and Henrik passed by last night, she was just watching.

It’s just that the incense in the chapel was very strong, and her heartbeat so weak that it was astonishing, leading to the fact Lann didn’t even notice her.

”Me? I’m, I’m just someone seeking shelter in the chapel. You... you’re a Hunter, right? Sorry, the incense covered your smell... truly sorry, hehe.”

Lann frowned slightly, looking down at the crouching figure on the ground.

Her voice was old, but not quite faltering. The halting of her speech was mainly due to her being overly careful.

She seemed aware of her low status, so her words were involuntarily filled with a nervous giggle and hesitant stammer.

Would people of Yan’an discriminate against the elderly to such an extent?

”I’m not a Hun... no, just consider me as one. Is there anything you need help with?”

Lann crouched, and it was only then that he realized her eyes were a cloudy white, clearly she was blind.

”No, no, no, I don’t need any help.”

She humbly denied it.

”You are a kind-hearted Hunter, this hunt has made many people hide indoors, waiting for the night to pass... it was this way in the past, this way now, and it will be forever. But it won’t pass so easily, at least not this time. Now even the townspeople hiding indoors have worsened.”

Her words fraught with humility did not stir a sense of superiority.

Instead, in the current night, it carried a sense of terror.

”Screams of women, the stench of blood, the roars of beasts... these are no longer rare. Yan’an is coming to an end. But...”

Speaking of the nearing collapse of the city, Lann felt she was about to cry. But then, she turned her words.

”If you come across someone with their sanity intact outside, please tell them to come to Oton Chapel. It’s safe here, plenty of incense, keeping beasts at bay, let them all come, if it’s not too much trouble for you... hehe.”

Lann quietly listened to the old woman’s chatter.

At first, he only thought she was an old lady wanting to help others, though her tone made her sound like a cackling old witch.

But that was actually self-effacing laughter.

Yet the more he listened, the stranger his expression became.

’The past like this’ could be understood as her having experienced the burning of Old Yan’an.

’The present like this’ went without saying, with everything about the Night of the Hunt playing out.

But... ’forever’?!

Could this person really sense the tampering with the flow of time?!

Lann felt uncertain because the people here in Yan’an tended to speak cryptically when unfamiliar.

And after they finished speaking, they always produced unique types of inexplicable laughter.

Making it indistinguishable if they were being serious or sarcastic.

”How much incense have you used here tonight, old crone?”

Lann asked calmly.

”Oh... burning two pieces at a time, six pieces already, kind-hearted Hunter.”

”Six pieces, that should be enough to burn for three nights, right? And since the incense is produced in Church Town, there’s no chance of shoddy incense in the chapel... we have indeed spent the time burning incense for three nights, haven’t we?”

The red-clad crone’s body went slightly stiff, but then quickly returned to normal.

”Oh, you’re another awake person, aren’t you, kind Hunter?”

”Did you only wake up this time? You must have many questions, but unfortunately, I’m just someone dwelling in this chapel. No matter how many times, I’m just here only.”

”If you have something you wish to do, something you want to know, asking me won’t yield anything. Please, please do your best, hehe.”