Bear School Astartes

Chapter 460: 460. Reason for Detention

”Can you lie during telepathy, Regis?”

Lann looked into Dilaf’s black pupils and asked Regis.

The barber smiled and stood beside him.

”Telepathy can be concealed, and one can think about random things to distract attention, but lying... huh, we’re not warlocks; we don’t study these methods.”

”Good, very good.”

Lann clapped his hands for this.

”I’ve always believed that if problems can be solved peacefully, there’s no need for violence.”

Regis’s eyes slightly brightened, then he turned his head and looked down at Lann, saying, ”Dilaf thinks the same.”

The young man nodded. Given that Regis said they couldn’t lie to each other through telepathy, he decided to trust him.

”Then we’ll get to the point, Dilaf. We haven’t avoided you in our discussion, so you’re aware of our predicament. Let’s speak frankly.”

”We are employed by the Dwarf Settlement in the Amel Mountains, Hein Castle. They must have created this cage for you, ding ding.”

With that, Lann lightly tapped the iron bars of the cage with his knuckles, producing a clear sound.

What surprised the young man was that even after he mentioned the name of Hein Castle, which had imprisoned this high vampire for hundreds of years, Dilaf did not exhibit rage, anger, hate, or any negative emotions. Instead, he appeared extremely rational.

Even for an immortal, he seemed to view his century-long imprisonment rather lightly.

”What trouble did you cause back then that made the dwarves of Hein Castle summon Anahad to deal with you? They gave Anahad a place to stay, helped him establish his school, designed equipment for their new faction... it was quite an investment.”

”Please answer carefully, as your response will influence our actions towards you.”

Lann decisively shifted from a half-squat to a cross-legged position on the ground, forming a bridge with his hands before his chest, quietly watching Dilaf inside the cage.

Regis’s eyes flashed brightly again, and he reminded Dilaf through his mouth.

”I won’t lie to my friend, Dilaf. But you may choose your words carefully because my friend is rather unsparing towards evil.”

After a moment of silence, Regis occasionally nodded slightly during telepathy, and eventually, the light in his eyes faded, ending the communication.

”Hmm... this story is not easy to tell.”

Regis looked astonished at Dilaf inside the cage, seemingly confused by the contents of the telepathy.

”What exactly did he say? Stop being so cryptic!”

Ged couldn’t hold back from speaking.

Regis pursed his lips, as if pondering how to express it.

”Dilaf, well... is he a good person?”

Ged widened his eyes, looking around at the chaos of corpses and debris outside the mine, iron cage, and the surroundings, feeling absurd and aghast.

The meaning was clear: being imprisoned like this and summoning a horde of bloodthirsty creatures, you say he’s a good person?

Then Regis began explaining why Dilaf had been imprisoned by the dwarves.

First, it’s clear that although Dilaf is a high vampire, he is a staunch member of the Blood Prohibition Faction, never touching blood.

Throughout his long life, he indeed can be considered a ’good person.’

Back in 964 in Lilia, for a boy’s unpaid apple, he killed a beast that had killed the boy.

Later, he placed the beast’s carcass beside a hunter and spread the word that the hunter had slain the beast for the people, creating a legendary story.

This story still circulates in Lilia and Livia today.

This time, the cause was similar, as Dilaf always values goodwill from others.

More than a century ago, he once passed through a village at the foot of the Amel Mountains. A farmhouse there welcomed him selflessly.

Their daughter even washed his clothes overnight for him.

The next day, before leaving, Dilaf planned, as was his character, to find a gift to repay this selfless kindness.

Living off the land, as a high vampire, acquiring a complete bear fur was easy.

However, after two days of wandering in the mountains and bringing back a gift, the small farmhouse had disappeared.

The cause seemed to be disputes over irrigation water between two villages, and the man in the farmer’s family died in the argument, as mountain farmers are harsher than regular ones.

Moreover, after this, the victorious village didn’t stop. Their men, drunk under cover of night, visited the defeated village again.

Many women from farmhouses without male protection went insane the night after.

Including the daughter who had washed Dilaf’s clothes.

In that era, the roused farmers were not much different from bandits.

When the tax collector came, they would cry, lamenting the difficulty of farming. Once the tax was paid, they resumed their ’simple’ life.

The lord’s demands were merely tax payment and service, rarely offering management.

Dilaf draped the returned bear fur over the insane woman’s shoulder and, one night, drained the blood of an entire village.

”He confessed,” Regis said, frowning.

”Dilaf admitted that he was furious back then. In that village, besides children, old men, men, women... he spared none. Forty-six people in total.”

”He might as well have killed the children,” Ged calmly said, ”Those kids without parents are better off dead, and most would perish within two weeks anyway.”

Regis didn’t speak, just shook his head with a lowered gaze.

After Dilaf’s brutal slaughter, waves ensued as expected.

The monsters back then were much more rampant than now.

Numerous human corpses attracted various monsters, including those with extensive hunting ranges, and eventually led to consequences for Hein Castle in the mountains.

Finally, the startled dwarves, upon investigation, found a high vampire had appeared in their territory!

They, as an ancient race, knew better than humans how formidable high vampires were. Yet, they, like humans, never intended to attempt communication with a high vampire.

Later, out of concern for the lives of their clansmen, they established contact with the just-separated Demon Hunter Order led by Anahad.

Providing money and craftsmanship, but the costly combat had to be done by the hunters.

Fully prepared Anahad gave Dilaf a hard lesson.

In the final combat, the cold giant bear nearly disassembled Dilaf into pieces, like building blocks, without blinking.

Finally, only his head and half a heart were thrown into this specially alloyed cage, and the current partially recovered body is the result of over a century’s slow repair.

Anahad’s imprisonment suppressed his regenerative abilities to minimal levels.

Regis concisely explained the reason for Dilaf’s imprisonment.

Lann, from beginning to end, maintained eye contact with Dilaf, silently nodding at this moment.

However, Ged skeptically scrutinized the high vampire in the cage up and down.

”Is this account truly believable, Regis? Are you sure this guy isn’t fabricating tales in your head?”

”Ged...” Regis helplessly gazed at the doubtful big man. ”If I could be easily deceived like this, would I be just a pawn among high vampires?”

Regis’s words made Ged nod; he thought someone like Regis should be exceptional even among high vampires.

Due to his professional nature, Ged still cast a cautious gaze towards Lann.

”Hey, boss. Let’s hear it from you.”