"Calm down first, Henrik."
Lann placed both hands in front of him, pressing down, signaling Henrik to calm his emotions.
At the same time, his cat-like eyes locked with those beneath the old Hunter’s triangular hat, enhancing the sense of trust.
Indeed, under Lann’s series of actions, the old Hunter’s previously heavy breathing gradually steadied.
The hand tightly gripping the handle of the saw cleaver also relaxed a bit.
"What... happened? Where are Viola and the children?"
Henrik’s voice was drier and stiffer compared to when they met last night. The foul-smelling bloodstains on his leather coat had dried and become wet again repeatedly, forming a thick sticky layer.
It seemed that he hadn’t rested at all until now, which was bad news.
Continuous killing without rest leads to severe exhaustion, the human spirit can’t sustain it.
And after a Hunter’s mental collapse... Lann had dealt with the aftermath personally.
The Crow Hunter stood aside, seemingly indifferent.
Lann pointed to the door beside Henrik, on which Ovilia had also pasted a note.
"The night is too long, Henrik. The incense at the Gascoigne family couldn’t hold up, so I had to send them away first..."
"You sent them out during the hunt night?!"
Henrik retorted, reaching up to tear down the note on the door.
Seeing the familiar childish handwriting, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. His entire skeletal frame seemed to relax, appearing almost shrunken.
Lann watched calmly as the old Hunter’s mood fluctuated.
"There was no choice, Henrik. Better than staying here stubbornly. They’re all at Dr. Yusefka’s clinic now, which is relatively safe."
Lann walked past the Crow Hunter and reached Henrik, patting his shoulder.
This normal and gentle physical contact, unlike fighting with beastized patients, provided some comfort to Henrik’s spirit.
The old Hunter perked up and finally turned his attention to the third Hunter in the room.
"Why are you here, Erin?"
The old Hunter’s gaze turned repulsive and wary, focusing on the Crow Hunter.
"There’s no prey for you here, only the corpse of a mad Hunter lying outside."
The Crow Hunter Erin’s tone remained unchanged, carrying that subtle yet indifferent demeanor.
"Indeed, I’m puzzled too, there’s none of my prey left here... Ha, it’s quite peculiar."
Lann and Henrik were confused by what was said; it sounded as if she meant, "there should be my prey here, that’s why I appeared."
But... why did she feel that way?
"It’s time for you to hunt, Erin, happy hunting."
Unable to understand, Henrik bluntly issued an awkward expulsion order.
Strange things have happened enough this evening, he wasn’t prepared to delve into each one.
After a quiet stare between the eyes beneath the beak mask and Henrik, she nodded slightly, and the Crow Hunter ghostly and quietly exited the room.
Lann glimpsed the weapon this Hunter carried as she passed.
It was a sharp blade, akin to a combination short knife.
Judging by its structure and size, it wasn’t meant for hunting beasts... but rather humans.
Once Erin was gone, Lann calmly asked Henrik.
"Is she the cleanser within the Hunters?"
"Yes." Henrik had no intention to conceal. "She’s tasked with hunting mad Hunters... hence why we never get along with her."
"Seems like we lucked out having her leave empty-handed."
Lann shrugged, smiling.
He bore no hostility toward Erin; he revered Yan’an’s Blood but kept his distance, not believing he’d go mad or beastize.
"I suggest you rest a bit at Dr. Yusefka’s; you seem exhausted."
Henrik, hearing Lann’s suggestion, seemed tempted.
He felt particularly worn out tonight, as if he had been busy for days despite the night having just begun.
Moreover, Viola and the children, staying with an ordinary doctor didn’t seem particularly safe either...
"No." After hesitating for a moment, the old Hunter shook his head.
"I initially came to find Gascogne for help. Since here you are... Lann, can you help me hunt down a... a beast?"
The young man raised an eyebrow: "Have you encountered a beast you can’t handle?"
Henrik seemed reluctant to discuss the ’beast’ itself.
So he simply continued in his aged, deep voice: "It’s wandering on the bridge to Church Town; with it there, entering Church Town is difficult."
"Gascogne should be waiting in Oton Chapel’s cemetery as per our usual routine. We can regroup first and then go hunt that... ’beast.’ Safer that way."
Henrik’s tone turned awkward when describing the ’beast,’ clearly not wanting to call the adversary a ’beast.’
Lann keenly noticed but refrained from asking.
On this night, many things aren’t hard to imagine.
"Let’s find Gascogne first; I have to guide him to the clinic and ensure he reunites with his family to fulfill the entrusted duty."
The young man pressed his hand on his sword hilt, spoke casually, leading the way out.
Upon hearing the aged, deep voice from behind, Lann shook his head.
"Though I’ve not been around you long, I can imagine how rare it is for you to say ’thank you’... I’ll take it as an honor."
The heavy Hunter’s axe extended into a long-handled axe with sparks as the mechanism clicked.
The crude and fierce axe blade chopped down, shattering a beastized patient’s shoulder blade, sending its arm wielding a carpenter’s saw flying, crashing against a tilted stone headstone.
The meat chunks with blood and bone slammed against the stone, echoing a ’splash’ sound as blood splattered.
"Monsters... monsters everywhere."
Even in the secluded graveyard appeared so many monsters, killing them endlessly... never enough...
Gascogne exerted forcefully, breathing through his nose.
Not out of exhaustion, but from bodily instinct, craving more exposure to the scent of blood.
This foul beast’s blood, this sweet Yan’an’s Blood... it’s thickening... growing stronger.
But it’s not enough! This blood scent isn’t strong enough!
The more beasts gathered here, the fewer on the streets, ensuring his family’s safety. Get full chapters from ⓝovelFire.net
Must keep killing, until all beasts are slain!
Where did Henrik run off to? He’s too slow tonight... too slow...