Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1531 1503. Lushan City

After a brief stop, Lan En and the others all walked out of the village.

They started to head towards Sagiyama Castle where Saito Dosan was located with the cavalry team led by Takenaka Hanbei.

The only people left in Shisanzakura Village were a group of villagers who had suffered a disaster last night.

This was something Lan En specifically requested, and Hanbei acquiesced to.

Generally speaking, the military has always been a violent institution responsible only for exerting violence.

Throughout the long history of mankind, the distinction between whether this violence is inflicted on the enemy's enemies or on one's own people is not so clear.

The stragglers scattered on the spot and became bandits. He didn't care who the people in the area were, he would kill and rob them all.

As for things like patriotism, they are just empty and boring things for most military organizations.

Not leaving part of the cavalry here might make the villagers of Jusanzakura Village feel more at ease and safer.

It is also safer for the cavalry. After all, when they hunt the fallen warriors, they don't care which side the lone soldiers belong to. They will kill them and steal their equipment and money.

And there is no need to worry about the killing and filth left in the village from last night.

After all, whether it was killing people or monsters last night, the ones who did it were basically a group of people with guardian spirits.

Even if they kill, no filth will be left on their hands.

Not to mention Lan En's [Guardian Spirit·Qilin], there is no need to actually summon the guardian spirit itself.

Just the fact that it resides on Lan En, and the small amount of [Thick Earth and Pure Air] that Lan En spontaneously radiates outward on a normal basis, is enough to purify a large area that it passes through.

Fujiyoshiro was right in sensing the nobility and sacredness of the Guardian Spirit Kirin the moment he first laid eyes on it.

According to Lan En's observation, his guardian spirit [Divine Monkey] also seems to have some kind of purification ability.

After all, he is the messenger of Sanno Gongen.

However, this purification ability is far inferior to that of [Guardian Spirit·Qilin].

It is a superior-subordinate relationship with almost the same ability, but with a huge gap between them.

Therefore, the feeling about the [Guardian Spirit·Qilin] obtained from the [Divine Monkey] will of course have an obvious sense of difference.

The group walked out of the village, joined up with Hanbei's troops, and prepared to leave.

Fujiyoshiro still looked like he was getting along well with everyone, and greeted many people enthusiastically.

Lan En's already exaggerated body shape is coupled with the even more exaggerated Qilin and the magical and cute fluffy ball.

When Lan En rode on the Qilin, almost all the cavalrymen subconsciously tensed their bodies and moved away from his position.

This is a person's subconscious reaction when approaching a giant.

But at the same time, whether it is Lan En or Qilin, their luxurious and elegant temperament and appearance make people yearn for them and fall for them.

And A Xiu
At this time, the demon hunter had already covered half of his face with a mask.

Only the upper half of her face is revealed, which appears gentle and charming because of a beauty mole and peach blossom eyes.

Although because of her hair color and her beauty that could be felt even when only half of her face was exposed, she attracted the attention of many cavalrymen.

These gazes made Ah Xiu, who had always lived away from human groups, twist her body in discomfort.

But among all these gazes, Lan En particularly noticed Hanbei's eyes.

Lan En had always had a good impression of this rational and humble young warrior.

At this moment, when he saw Ah Xiu, there was indeed no bad emotion in his eyes.

But shock, panic, enlightenment?
The complex emotions revealed in that moment made Lan En almost think that they had known each other for a long time.

The troops marched through dense woods and country roads.

A bluestone signpost covered with moss and showing signs of rain erosion stands on the side of the road, indicating the direction.

On the way, they would occasionally encounter wild beasts, evil spirits, and filthy activities. However, this team had six guardian spirits.

The vast majority of filth and evil spirits didn't have a chance to get close and simply retreated.

The wild animals also wisely retreated away because of the noise of the large number of humans moving around.

The cavalry team allocated two horses that were originally used to carry equipment and supplies and gave them to Axiu and Fujiyoshiro for use.

Logically speaking, Fujiyoshiro's identity as a "peddler serving Saito Dosan" is neither important nor urgent.

It would be okay for him to receive some care in Meinong's territory, but it would not be easy for him to catch a ride with the cavalry.

But since Lan En had already said it, even though he only mentioned it briefly, Hanbei still agreed without hesitation.

And the other side.

"Have you seen Ah Xiu?"

Lan and Hanbei were riding side by side at the front of the team. At this time, the witcher asked in a voice hidden under the sound of horse hooves, which could only be heard by the small circle of the two of them.

"No, or did Bai Ze and you foresee Ah Xiu?"

Lan En's tone was more of a confirmation than a question. In the Thirteen Sakura Village last night, Bai Ze's expression after seeing Ah Xiu was almost a clear indication in Lan En's eyes.

When Hanbei heard Lan En's question, his horse's figure froze for a moment, then he shook his head and smiled bitterly.

"Lord Lan, you have sharp eyes. I am wearing a helmet and a visor, so only the slit of my eyes is exposed."

"It's useless." Lan En calmly broke through Hanbei's luck. "Just from the small changes around your eyes, I can feel your emotions. And this is not the first time I have negotiated with someone with only a slit of his eyes on his face."

When he was dealing with Henrik in Yharnam, the old hunter was dressed very conservatively.

But after just a few words, Lan En was still able to sense that the old hunter had no ill intentions in the extremely tense environment of the hunting night, and began to negotiate and gain trust.

Perhaps because of Bai Ze, Hanbei had read a lot of books and gained a lot of knowledge, but he still couldn't hide his emotions in front of Lan En.

“You are really…”

Hanbei shook his head again with emotion, but could not say anything to cover up.

"The teacher did use its power to allow both of us to foresee certain images, certain questions, and certain answers."

Then, Hanbei whispered to Lan in an open and frank tone.

His voice was lower than Lan's, as if he wanted to be more careful.

"But since you seem to have a full understanding and knowledge of this matter, you should also know," Hanbei looked at Lan En seriously, "before a certain moment comes, people like us cannot explain everything."

It wasn't just Lan En who guessed something from Hanbei's expression and Bai Ze's performance.

At the same time, Hanbei also noticed something from Lan's expression, which did not seem to be surprised.

Ordinary people, even if they saw his expression, what would happen? Shouldn't the first reaction be that he and Ah Xiu had really met before?
Who can use the legend of Bai Ze to lock in the possibility of foreseeing the future?
Unless in this person's consciousness, the ability to foresee the future is no longer considered a rare thing, but something that normally exists.

It was also for this reason that Hanbei was somewhat willing to talk to Lan En more.

Because he at least has a basic understanding of this ability, instead of blindly trusting it or belittling it as a scam.

"Isn't that what she should call you, Master Hidechiyo?"

"I did foresee some fragments of her future life, some fragments that are very important to the whole world. But you also know, Lord Lan En, the ability to foresee the future is not always so reliable."

"Just like now, I was certain only after seeing the light in those blue eyes. Huh!"

By the end, Hanbei almost felt relieved.

“That may be the most important thing I will do in my life.”

"It's really heavy when you say that." Lan En chuckled calmly, making the atmosphere a little more relaxed.

But he turned his head and glanced lightly at the beautiful half-demon in the team behind him.

Neither she nor Fujiyoshiro looked like they had much experience riding a horse, so their skills were very rusty.

However, Fujiyoshiro is blessed by the [Divine Monkey] and has good body flexibility.

Ah Xiu is good enough in her own right, and both of them can barely keep up with the team's current not-so-fast pace.

And they are adapting to the sport of horse riding with visible progress.

The road to Lushan City is not very close.

Kirin doesn't care at all. Compared with its speed, the whole of Japan is not big.

But if you want to keep up with the team, you have to slow down.

Although Mino has a rare flat terrain in Japan, the roads are also uneven and the land is cut by the height difference and the messy tributaries of the Nagara River.

We walked for two days through the lush woods and occasionally visible roads.

During this period, Fujiyoshiro started talking and laughing with many cavalrymen.

But according to Lan En, it was probably just to make him a familiar face.

Fujiyoshiro is indeed good at socializing, but this skill is by no means good enough to be considered a special ability.

Ah Xiu is always very quiet and still doesn't like to interact with others. She always wears a ninja-like mask on her face.

Lan made Hanbei feel very strange because he was always on the road and would look in some unknown direction for no apparent reason.

It seemed as if he had seen something, but was inclined not to care.

But no matter what, Lushan City is already within reach.

Before entering the city, you can see from a distance the tallest building within the city walls - the three-story, five-step castle tower with white walls and gray tiles.

Compared with the Iwamura Castle tower of Ando Morinari, Sagiyama Castle, as the residence of Saito Dosan after he retired as the head of the family and became a monk, is of much higher standards.

Having arrived all the way in a dusty state, Hanbei's cavalry team was very eye-catching.

Because the incident happened suddenly, Ando Morinari probably didn't have time to inform his old lord in detail.

And a smart man like Hanbei would naturally have thought of it long ago.

He left all the cavalry outside the city to rest nearby, and only took the most important people and himself into the city.

(End of this chapter)