Bear School Astartes

Chapter 464. Distinction

Lence Ziva personally conducted a simple farewell ceremony with a strong Dwarf style for the "sacrifice" Regis at the mouth of the mine cave.

They skipped all the complicated rituals, keeping only the essence—

Each Dwarf poured a small sip of their flask onto the ground where Regis was buried.

"I remember Regis didn’t drink much?"

Standing at the back, posing as if in silent mourning and heavy hearted, Ged whispered to Lann, tilting his head.

Lann’s lips twitched slightly as he spoke impassively.

"It should be... alright? It’s poured on the ground, and he won’t even need to breathe in the soil, so the liquor won’t flow into his mouth."

"Hmm... let’s hope so."

The mourning was quickly completed; the Dwarf Elder commanded his guards to haul the vampire creatures and the traces in the mine onto the cart.

He needed to show these corpses to the Dwarf residents of Hein Castle to let them know the crisis was resolved, allowing them to live and work in peace.

"Hein Castle thanks you for your contributions, Demon Hunters."

Back in the hall where they first met the Dwarf Elder, Lence Ziva solemnly said.

Lann and Ged, following traditional etiquette, slightly bowed to the Dwarf Elder, acknowledging the gratitude.

"I know, verbal gratitude is cheap and dull. We Dwarves won’t mistreat those who help us, especially as you have made sacrifices."

Saying this, the Dwarf Elder picked up a small cloth bag from beside his one-piece cast iron throne.

He pulled out a stack of trimmed parchment from it, gesturing to the two Demon Hunters.

"This is the compensation we agreed upon before, gentlemen."

"Besides the body parts already given to you, there are two Longswords—one steel, one silver—and the remaining armor component blueprints."

Lence Ziva unfolded each parchment and turned to display them to the Demon Hunters.

"Grandmaster level armor blueprints; their combined effect is: after casting the Quen Rune, if the seal is shattered, there is a fifty percent chance to regenerate a Quen Rune without consumption."

"This is the most fitting effect for your Bear School—hardy, resilient, and durable."

The Demon Hunter’s Quen Rune is essentially equivalent to another life, and the Bear School’s Grandmaster set has a fifty percent chance of spontaneously creating another ’life’ after the first is consumed... This effect is undeniably powerful!

Lence Ziva said, specially pulling out several other blueprints.

"Also, aside from this traditional set, I made customized improvements as per your request. New arm guard structure, along with new armor plate parameters."

This was made specifically for Lann.

"Additionally, this blueprint is to commemorate the sacrifice of your esteemed Mage friend. I’m sorry, I originally intended to personally fire up the forge and create fine swords for you both, but seeing as you seem busy and won’t stay long, I could only provide you with the blueprints."

The Dwarf Elder pulled out the very last sheet from the stack of blueprints.

It was a sword blueprint.

"Havier Sword, it is detailed with all the key points to pay attention to in the forging process, and there is a chance for it to set enemies on fire upon successful creation."

A steel sword blueprint, Havier Sword holds quite a position in the market. Even some renowned large Knight Orders have few members who can afford such a sword.

This kind of blueprint, if managed well, can even become the heirloom or signature product of a high-end forge.

However, this blueprint is not very useful for Lann and Ged because neither of them are blacksmiths or intend to open a forge.

But on second thought, Lann realized that Belengar was worried about not having high-level blueprints outside of Demon Hunter gear—this steel sword blueprint could just help him with his certification.

The Old Demon Hunter had been displeased for quite some time about not having certified blacksmith levels.

The old guy wasn’t short of money now, instead, he was seeking social recognition.

Ged was grinning broadly, but Lann still maintained a solemn and sorrowful expression as he stepped forward to receive the reward for this mission.

Even acting required perfection; otherwise, it would gnaw at Lann from within.

After receiving the compensation, the Dwarf Elder politely invited the two Demon Hunters to stay in Hein Castle for two more days.

However, neither of the Demon Hunters intended to stay, and by noon that day, they had packed their things and left the Dwarf Settlement in the Amel Mountains.

Once they verified that there were no Dwarf Patrol Teams, they quickly hurried back to that mountain hideout.

Upon arrival, they saw Regis’ body emerging from the soil, with Dilaf patting off the dirt nearby.

What was once dry land had turned muddy due to the Dwarves’ liquor.

Regis dug into his satchel, took out a bunch of strong-smelling herbs, crushed them, and applied them to himself, trying to mask the smell of alcohol.

"I never thought a Dwarf funeral would take this form."

Regis spoke unhurriedly, his alcoholic scent contrasting sharply with his rational and wise tone.

Regis opened his arms, turning to face the two Demon Hunters who had descended from the hillside, his expression helpless.

As for Lann and Ged, with perfect comprehension, they rushed over to offer greetings and tended to Regis along with Dilaf.

After a flurry of activity, they finally managed to mask the alcohol scent on Regis with the coriander seed aroma.

"We still need to properly bury this hero’s grave."

After the commotion, Lann strictly suggested.

"Who knows, maybe Dwarves will come to pay homage to the hero in the future!"

Next to Lann, even Regis couldn’t help but twitch the corners of his mouth despite his decent composure.

Though silent, they were all efficient workers, and soon they had refilled the hero’s grave.

The two Demon Hunters descended the mountain together with the two higher vampires.

By nightfall, they had reached Theodora Pass, a passage that traverses the continuous Amel mountain range, using their far superior abilities.

It was here they would part ways.

Regis shook hands with Lann and Ged, one by one. He would continue traveling with Dilaf, crossing the highest peak of the Amel Mountains—Gao Gong Mountain.

There, they would enter Toussaint, the Land of Wine and Knights, where the "Ancient Creatures" they spoke of reside within the borders of Toussaint.

Regis would witness Dilaf make his vow not to seek revenge in front of the Ancient Creatures.

"I can almost foresee..."

Regis said with a sense of loss after releasing Lann’s hand.

"That I will greatly miss this journey—interesting experiences, interesting friends... Ah, I’m getting a bit sentimental now."

"You make it sound like we’re all people who can live for hundreds of years, yet we’re all going to die tomorrow."

Lann seemed light-hearted and carefree.

"Though this is a disgusting world, I believe we should be ’good people rewarded’, right? We can meet again in the future, my friends, and you know where to find me."

Finally, under the gaze of the Demon Hunters, the two high vampires turned into two plumes of black smoke, swiftly fading away across the moonlit snowy terrain.