Bear School Astartes

After defeating the Captain of the Gunfoot one-on-one, the threat posed by Najasnake Chongzang was already negligible.

Wolf was already making progress on that side.

Though his left arm was injured and he couldn't exert too much force. But in an unarmored melee, not much strength is needed unless the enemy's flesh is harder than steel.

Otherwise, a small knife could make him bleed and cut flesh.

Wolf had already stabbed Najasnake Chongzang's foot with his Samurai Sword.

If this bandit leader didn't look like he trained in sumo, with a remarkably stable stance, he would have collapsed as soon as the knife pierced his foot.

But even so, he was already roaring in anger, as if foreseeing his fate.

"Damn it! Die!"

The long Wild Sword he wielded was as fierce as a hurricane.

However, with impaired mobility, he had lost the ability to threaten Wolf.

Lann picked up his Ninja Sword from the Captain's corpse and hurled it at Najasnake Chongzang.

With a "whoosh," the sound of the blade swiftly slicing through flesh was both quick and sharp.

The shining blade stabbed into the back of Chongzang's thick thigh, piercing through the entire leg, causing him to scream and kneel in agony.

Wolf seized this massive flaw.

He directly and agilely stepped on the sword blade as it swung through the air, and leapt onto Chongzang's shoulder!

His hand grabbed the opponent's sparse hair, raising his huge head to expose its weak point.

Then his Samurai Sword stabbed vertically from the junction of neck and collarbone!

With a "squelch," the splattering blood was akin to slaughtering a pig.

Lann couldn't help but grind his teeth at the sight; such a method... the Samurai Sword probably pierced through to the chest cavity directly from the neck!

The massive body slowly collapsed, and Wolf jumped down from his head.

Shaking off the blood stains on the knife, he moved past Lann without looking back towards the inner depths.

Lann certainly wasn't as familiar with the layout as a household Ninja, so he followed behind him, moving forward.

Until in an indoor passageway, Lann saw a familiar face again.

Nojima Iizuka.

But this time, the promising young warrior no longer had the clean appearance of their first meeting.

Imposing in wartime clothing, a white cloth covered his eyes, bleeding red as he slumped in a corner.

Wolf didn't even give him a look, intending to move directly past him towards his destination.

But Lann stopped the Ninja.

"Give him some medicine; he's a warrior of the Hirata Family, isn't he? Plus, it's clear from his state that he escaped from the place you're heading to. Gathering some intel is essential."

Originally, Wolf, intent on rescuing his master, didn't want to be concerned about anything else, but Lann's reasoning was sound and sensible.

At the other end of the passageway, it appeared to be just an empty room on the surface. Yet, the core retainers of the Hirata Family knew there was a hidden Buddhist Hall beneath the tatami there.

Iizuka, injured in this location and falling to the ground, could only have been beaten out from the Buddhist Hall.

Wolf took a small medicine box from his chest pocket, poured out a whiteish-green pill, and handed it to Lann.

"This medicine is far more effective than anything outside of Iwami."

Lann nodded indifferently, thinking to himself, I don't know what the situation is like outside in your East Japan. If there's medicine, just feed it.

But as soon as Iizuka swallowed the pill, its effect still startled Lann.

Izuka, who moments ago was barely breathing, clearly began to improve after swallowing the pill.

Lann felt as if he had downed a bottle of Swallow would have the same effect.

"...Your medicinal materials here are really great."

A Demon Hunter with some 'expertise' in alchemy, finally squeezed out a sentence.

He seemed to inadvertently lick the palm where he received the pill, and Mentos in his mind promptly completed the analysis.

The pill's production method was ordinary, mainly due to the excellent medicinal materials.

Or rather, the land where these medicinal materials grew was excellent.

To Lann, it's more of a specialty concept. He can take some back, but can't produce a second batch after it runs out abroad.

At this point, Iizuka on the ground seemed to have choked on the blood foam in his throat while recovering, coughing awake.

"Cough, cough cough. Am I surrounded by anyone?"

Lann opened his mouth, seeing that this young warrior was truly blind.

"I'm Lann, and I'm here with the loyal Ninja of my master. Iizuka, tell us where the master went."

In a few sentences, he made the situation clear; Iizuka, forced to gather his resolve, provided an answer.

"Hidden Buddhist Hall, the master inside. But... that Illusion Technique, it's impossible to deal with! I still have three Leaping Seeds here that can break the Illusion Technique. Sorry, I'm too weak to rescue the young master, even after using all but three..."

Upon hearing the words 'Illusion Technique', Wolf frowned rarely, displaying an obvious emotion.

"Is it Lady Butterfly?"

He coldly questioned Iizuka.

"Yes, yes, it is Lady Butterfly who brought the young master here. As soon as I went in, she began attacking me."

Wolf's hand already gripped the hilt tightly.

Lann watched this scene calmly. Within the Hirate family, he had met three seemingly notable Ninjas. He could correlate names and appearances too.

The relationship among these three Ninjas was extraordinary; according to Lann's guess, it resembled a master-disciple relationship.

But at the same time, he had no doubt that if it was his own mentor who abducted the master, Wolf would show not an ounce of mercy.

Conversely, his mentor would likely be just as cold-blooded in achieving their objective.

This is the concept and worldview instilled in Ninjas during training.

However, Lann considered himself to have a broader view as someone less connected to the Hirate family than Wolf, allowing him to see things more comprehensively.

"Calm down first."

Lann patted Wolf's hand on the hilt and spoke calmly.

"Iwami must have a reserve force, right? With the Hirate family blazing, even in the rainy night and difficult roads, they should arrive by daylight... now it's almost time."

"Are there any other exits from the hidden Buddhist hall? If not, why would Lady Butterfly hold hostages and hide in such a desperate spot? She wouldn't be foolish enough to think the bandits would stop plundering and focus on slaughtering, killing everyone outside, and letting her leave with the people, would she?"

"From this perspective, her actions seem more like 'taking the young master to avoid the chaotic army and wait for reinforcements.'

Hearing Lann's reflection, Wolf also began to notice something was amiss. If Lady Butterfly intended to abduct the master, she could have moved during the initial chaos.

"Impossible!" Iizuka breathlessly retorted. "If Lady Butterfly sincerely intended to protect the young master! Why did she attack me?! Why'd she use Illusion Technique to scare my mother! She is the young master's close attendant!"

"Because she doesn't know whether you are a traitor, so until someone truly reliable appears, she will indiscriminately attack anyone trying to enter the hidden Buddhist hall."

"A traitor? Are you questioning the loyalty of us Hirata retainers?"

Despite being seriously injured, when discussing the potential suspicion over a warrior's loyalty, Iizuka shouted hurriedly.

But Lann's reply made him tongue-tied.

"Then how do you explain the ease with which the bandits breached the gates at Hirata Manor? If not traitors, was it incompetence?"

Traitors or incompetence. No warrior would want to choose between these two as a description of their group.

Lann shook his head, not really understanding the cultural philosophies of this East Japan.

Just patting Iizuka on the shoulder, advising him to rest well.

"Let's move." Lann stood up from Iizuka's side and walked ahead of Wolf, heading towards the hidden Buddhist Hall.

As he walked, he instructed the Ninja behind him.

"Even if we have to fight immediately upon meeting, you must explain clearly during the battle, understand? You Ninjas... Why are you all like dull gourds? Not communicating properly, not exchanging information, not resolving doubts, yet still hoping to save the Hirata family? Is that how you work?"