Bear School Astartes

Chapter 446. Inside the castle

"Great, I’m beginning to understand why no one wanted to stay when this castle was besieged by the mob. Serves them right!"

Lann trudged through the courtyard of Heinkawei Castle, each step deep in the snow.

Ged, the longtime resident, didn’t fare much better, except for Regis, who was different.

The snow in the castle’s courtyard was so deep that it was only half a person shorter than the height of the castle walls.

Lann and Ged weren’t able to walk on it because they reached the ground.

Rather, the upper layers of snow had compacted the lower layers with their weight, providing a firm footing for them.

Even so, only their upper bodies above the waist were visible above the snow surface.

Lann’s high body temperature made his clothes even wetter in such conditions.

It felt like being entangled by his own clothing, driving Lann crazy with frustration.

"Ah!!! Destroy it all! I should have made a snowboard before coming in!"

The young Demon Hunter flailed his hands in the snow, raising waves of snow.

But after venting, he could only bury his head and move forward again.

"Wow, this is really rare," Regis remarked with a tone of surprise. "I thought you were the type to never lose your temper."

"Well, now you’ve seen it!"

Lann rolled his eyes with annoyance, then smoothed his hair, which had become a bit disheveled due to his earlier frenzy.

"Just so you know, when I lose my temper, it’s terrifying, so you’d better not dawdle in front of me with that laid-back look!"

Beside the two Demon Hunters, Regis also walked through the snow, which only buried up to his calves, barely reaching his knees.

This higher vampire was not using any magic or racial talents; he was simply without heavy armor, and his lighter weight allowed him to move much more easily in the snow compared to the two Bear School Demon Hunters.

Ged also seemed to be adapting well.

As he pushed forward, he introduced Lann to the school castle that neither of them had visited before.

"Surviving within the harsh walls of Heinkawei is extremely difficult, especially for young apprentices, presenting a constant challenge. They need to huddle by the fireplace to prevent frostbite, wrap themselves in thick furs to avoid hypothermia, and keep shoveling the endless snow in the courtyard..."

"We all believe that this long and arduous physical labor can stimulate the unique endurance in our mutations that far surpasses our peers."

"Oh, we should be there."

Saying this, Ged stopped Lann, who was still moving forward, in front of a high castle wall.

The snow was so thick here that the doorway used for entrance and exit was buried beneath the snow level.

"We have to dig down until we reach the door."

With that, Ged began to dive under the snow to start digging.

While Lann decisively drew out the Turbulent Flow Greatsword, they quickly unearthed the door to enter the castle.

Like sliding down a slide, they entered the castle’s interior through the snow path they had dug out.

Heinkawei Castle had been abandoned for decades, and structurally it didn’t differ from other castles in this world.

During the decades it had remained vacant, the internal and external temperatures of the castle maintained the same level.

Only, due to the pillaging by the mob, many things lay scattered messily on the floor.

Guided by Ged, Lann finally fulfilled his wish of finding a fireplace, igniting a fire, and drying his clothes.

After decades of abandonment, the castle once again echoed with the crackling sound of burning wood in the fireplace.

To dry his armor more quickly, Lann stripped it off and hung it by the fireplace.

"You really are full of energy." Ged sighed, appreciating the young man’s robust health, then hesitated slightly before speaking.

"But...is it just me, or have you grown taller?"

They had only been together for a little over a week.

To have such a noticeable height change in such a short time... Lann’s bone reinforcement mutation had indeed been well nourished by the alchemical special diet he crafted.

Now his height had reached around two meters and five centimeters.

"I’m still young, probably still in my growth phase. Can’t guys grow a bit more around twenty? I guess that’s the case with me."

Lann casually mentioned.

Ged’s mouth twitched slightly, while Regis looked on with curiosity.

Growing a bit at twenty is normal, but seeing someone already over one meter ninety growing to over two meters and seemingly continuing to grow was something they truly hadn’t witnessed before.

"I say...could your family have giant lineage?"

Ged hesitantly asked. There were plenty of big brawny folks in the Bear School, but none exhibited such rapid growth. Twenty years old and growing like a teenager.

"Hey, don’t slander me!"

Lann patted his chest.

"Pure human, alright?"

So the other two exchanged a glance, shrugged, and ended the topic.

"We’re in now, but being in is one thing... Ged, do you have any clues about those Dwarves?"

Lann sat shirtless by the fireplace, exercising his shoulders and glancing around the vast, empty castle hall.

Signs of abandonment and decay permeated the entire structure.

Although the senses of a Demon Hunter were extraordinary, finding traces in a building untouched by people for decades was somewhat unrealistic.

Not to mention that during the castle’s last ’bustling times’, a mob bent on slaughter and plunder had barged in.

"Don’t worry, Lann." At this time, Ged finally had the time to tidy his beard, ready to shave it off completely with a dagger.

"When I say I’ll help you find them, I’ll help you find them."

He said while shaving his beard.

"This castle was once full of Demon Hunters, and if Anahad had contact with the mountain Dwarves, there would inevitably be traces. And for a Demon Hunter, a trace is a clue."

"Even if Anahad was among the first Demon Hunters, under the watch of so many peers, what could he hide?"

"So you’re saying..." Lann tilted his head, "you had already discovered his contact with those Dwarves before the castle was abandoned?"

"I don’t know who or what he was in contact with. I just noticed he had a secret chamber in the castle."

Ged nonchalantly explained.

"To be precise, we all noticed it. But you know our fellow’s nature; as long as it doesn’t concern them, they don’t care much."

"Secret chamber, contact, collaboration...none of it matters."

"Initially, I wanted to take a look, but when the majority in the school were indifferent, and Anahad and his successors were evidently not to be trifled with, how long could my curiosity last, need I say?"