Westminster Bank

Chapter 32: Chapter 29: Iron Thorn Gang

Sister Teresa stood by the window. She had clearly also noticed Hira surrounded by Demon Hunters.

"It’s the Iron Thorn Gang, a local guild from Fude City," she said. "A group of wanted criminals from all over. They have no faith, no god—just pure bounty hunters. The one in the lead is Savi, son of the head of the Iron Thorn Gang."

Her gaze fell on the young boy beside the maid. He had a look of youthful fury, travel-worn and covered in injuries. He shielded Hira with his body, his face already showing several bruises.

A passerby outside the church saw the maid and the boy being bullied and instinctively moved to intervene, but a crack from the blond Demon Hunter’s whip sent them reeling before they even got close. Clutching the fresh welt on their face, the bystander could only glare before scurrying away, not daring to utter a word.

Only the boy remained, still shielding Hira. He gritted his teeth, like a young tiger staring down its prey for the first time.

He was knocked down time and again, only to struggle back to his feet. The Demon Hunters were ruthless, and his face was beaten and swollen, yet he refused to stay down.

Seeing this, the sixteen-year-old maid fell deeper into despair, repeatedly crying out "Al"—apparently the boy’s name.

Finally, Al collapsed, his strength utterly spent.

A faint, broken cry escaped his throat. "Hira... Go... Just go..."

She clutched the boy’s slender frame. She had never embraced him before, but now she held him tight. He felt like a bundle of dry kindling, yet he was scorching hot, as if something had set him ablaze.

Watching the scene from the window, the Nun muttered, ’I have to help Miss Hira.’

The moment she had the thought, a dark figure shot past her, diving from the window toward the ground below like a falcon.

The Demon Hunters suddenly felt a chill.

They only saw a black shadow flit past them like a ghost.

It was followed by a frigid, sharp killing intent, an almost palpable rage like that of a Demon from the void, enveloping them from all sides.

The Demon Hunters sensed the killing intent and moved to draw their blades, but all they felt was an immense force slamming into their chests, followed by a sharp, violent impact.

As one, they were flung backward like kites with their strings cut, spraying arcs of blood that traced their flight.

"Stay back. I’ll handle this."

The dark figure materialized. It was the young man from Feinan, already gripping a sword—an Alchemy Sword taken from one of the Iron Thorn Gang’s Hunters.

Hira, cradling Al as she lay on the ground, sobbed, "I... I was delivering breakfast to Mr. Maguire and Mr. Zod... They stole it... and then they wanted me to... to attend them..."

Baron’s gaze flickered to the breakfast tray held by one of the followers, then locked onto the blond Demon Hunter on horseback—Savi, son of the Iron Thorn Gang’s leader.

Savi didn’t waste words. He gave a nonchalant order: "Cripple him."

The followers advanced, Alchemy Circuits spreading across their faces. With swords drawn, it was clear they fully intended to cripple Baron.

"Mr. L, you have to get out of here!" Hira cried. "There are too many of them... You don’t have to do this for us..."

Tears streamed down Hira’s face as she watched him, her voice choked with sobs. Her heart was a mixture of secret joy and regret.

She felt a thrill of joy that Mr. L—the Demon Hunter whom even the Baron had praised endlessly—had stood up for her and Al.

And she was filled with regret for having dragged him into this, for causing trouble for both Al and Mr. L.

"Miss Hira, if we let this stand, wouldn’t that make us seem a little ungrateful?"

A hearty laugh boomed from the church’s upper floor. Two dark figures leaped down, landing squarely on two of the Demon Hunters and using them as stepping stones. It was Maguire and Zod, who’d been drinking since morning.

"Who are you? Do you have any idea who you’re messing with?!"

The Demon Hunter pinned underfoot screamed in terror.

Maguire drew his blade. "The Living Dead? Demons? A Blood Demon? Whatever you are, you’re not human. No human would do something like this."

"Less talking, more fighting. What are you trying to do, talk them to death?"

Zod knocked a Demon Hunter unconscious with his empty iron flask. With a loud laugh, he drew his sword from its sheath and slapped another approaching Hunter senseless with the flat of the blade.

"They’re just three bounty hunters! Kill them! I’ll take responsibility for the—"

Savi’s vicious command was cut short as his world spun, and he found his prized blond hair being ground into the dirt by a boot.

To the stunned disbelief of the assembled followers, Baron kicked Savi hard in the stomach several times, leaving him dry-heaving on the ground.

He grabbed the breakfast tray he’d snatched and ground the contents into Savi’s face, spreading it evenly. "You’ve already paid the price," Baron said in a low voice. "Now, how about you pay some interest?"

Pinned to the ground, Savi let out an ear-splitting roar. He glared at his followers and screamed, "What are you staring at? Kill them!"

The cobblestones cracked as the followers surged forward, blades raised. A dance of cold steel enveloped the three men.

Baron smirked. "Scared?"

Maguire swallowed hard. "A little."

"Then let’s have a drink for courage."

Zod produced another iron flask. The three men took a swig each, then smashed the flask on the ground and charged into the fight.

...

"What happened?"

Arilan looked at the three men standing shoulder to shoulder. They were battered and bruised, their faces smeared with blood that had crusted on their clothes. Her gaze lingered on Baron in particular.

Baron offered a bloody grin. "Nothing happened. Everything’s fine."

Arilan nodded. "Don’t be late for the Blood Demon hunt tonight. A Wizard in Fude City has divined its approximate location... It looks like reinforcements won’t make it in time. We’re on our own."

With that said, she strode away without a second glance, stepping right over the bruised and swollen form of Savi, who was still groaning on the ground.

Andre, who was walking beside her, watched Baron’s figure recede into the sunlight. He hesitated for a moment, then, regardless of whether Baron could see, he furtively gave him a thumbs-up.

He was never one to be impressed by Baron, but it was impossible not to be impressed by him now.

There was bad blood between them, but that didn’t stop Andre from feeling that what Baron had just done was incredibly satisfying.

It wasn’t just that Baron had stood up for Hira; it was that he’d accomplished Andre’s long-held dream: giving that pampered brat Savi a thorough beating!

Then he saw the young Hunter flip him the bird in return.

Andre’s face darkened. He decided then and there that on the trip back, Baron would be riding in the ox cart.

...

Inside the church, Teresa and the other Nuns gently bandaged Zod and Maguire’s wounds. Both were seriously injured, with multiple cuts across their bodies. Even with a Demon Hunter’s resilient Life Force, recovery would take time.

It seemed they would be spending the night of the Blood Demon hunt in bed.

Baron, on the other hand, had fought alongside them. He had initially sustained far more injuries than the other two, a result of his unrefined fighting technique and Savi having ordered his men to focus on him. Yet, in just half a day, those same wounds had already scabbed over and nearly healed.

When Teresa sent the Little Nun, Olivia, to check on him, she returned, blushing, to report that Mr. L was perfectly fine and currently reading in the library.

’Reading...’ Teresa seemed to remember something. She asked the Little Nun to watch over the two sleeping Demon Hunters, then picked up a thick, classical-looking tome and hurried toward the library. ƒгeewebnovёl.com

...

In the library, Baron—his upper body bare and wrapped in bandages—opened the *Traveler’s Journal*.

Aside from the title page, which credited the journal’s author as Lucifer, most of the pages were blank. Only a sparse few contained any writing, and one of those was stained with blood.

He quickly flipped through it:

[February 7, Haiweide Star Moon City. Beneath the twin towers, I found a little beggar. A girl...]

[February 8, I was invited to a ball at the Rose Church. The Church’s Saintess, the White Deer Girl, offered me a glass of red wine, but her Knight kept giving me a strange look...]

The entries stopped, followed by a stretch of blank pages.

[March 9: Saw a member of the Blood Race killed by a Knight in Haiwede. Blood splattered all over my book. Good thing I prepared other journals...]

He flipped to the blood-stained page, and his pupils widened. It wasn’t a diary entry. Instead, it read:

[Blood Demon Hunter Initiation: One drop of a Bloodline Viscount’s essence blood, a Demon Hunter’s Lawbook, the corpse of a member of the Blood Race, and a sufficient quantity of fresh blood (the more, the better). After becoming a Blood Demon Hunter, one must resist the urge to drink blood for fifteen minutes.]

’A Blood Demon Hunter? Are there other factions besides the Silver and Beast Factions?’

Baron’s mind reeled. He flipped toward the back of the journal, and a sheet of parchment fluttered out.

Baron picked up the parchment, and before he could even look at it, a profound, esoteric feeling washed over him, bringing with it instant understanding.

This was a Demon Hunter’s Lawbook.

"Mr. L, what are you reading?"

Teresa’s sudden appearance made Baron instantly stow the journal and the Lawbook in his ring.

Baron casually grabbed a book detailing the doctrines of blood and flipped through it. "Just browsing. Catching up on some history."

Teresa nodded. She produced the thick tome she was carrying and flipped to a specific page. "Mr. L, see if this is the Time Grass you’re looking for."

Baron’s expression flickered the moment he saw the illustration.

It wasn’t just that Teresa had actually found the Time Grass. It was because the illustration was identical to the one Bagins had shown him from the *Dwarven Book* back on the Inner Side!

His conversation with Bagins resurfaced in his mind:

"This is the depiction of Time Grass from the *Dwarven Book*," Bagins had said. "Ancient Dwarven scholars claimed it typically blooms in the Stone Pusher’s Crevice."

"The Stone Pusher’s Crevice? Where’s that?"

"In another world."

An incredible thought struck him like a lightning bolt, crashing through his mind with the force of a wave shattering against a reef.

"This Time Grass..." Baron’s voice trembled, though he didn’t notice. "Can it only be found in the Stone Pusher’s Crevice?"

"The Stone Pusher?" Sister Teresa seemed surprised. "But isn’t that the magical projection formed from the Star Dust of the Time Law? The one that has existed in the cities of Prole for tens of thousands of years?"

"Then what you’re saying is..."

Baron’s hopes fell. It seemed the Time Grass wouldn’t be so easy to find after all.

"I’ve seen that herb before!"

Suddenly, a delighted voice came from beside them. They turned to see the maid, Hira.

She was bouncing on the balls of her feet, her face bright red at the sight of Baron’s bare, bandaged chest.

"Seen what?" Baron asked, his tone uncertain.

She stepped forward, demure and reserved. She first thanked Baron and his companions for rescuing her that day, then pointed to the illustration, her voice filled with excitement.

"Mr. L, the Time Grass you’re looking for... I’ve seen it before! There was a bundle of it in Baron Camberra’s herb collection!"

Baron was about to ask for more information when a sharp whistle sounded from outside—the signal to assemble.

In a way, it was the sounding of a battle horn. Night was falling, and the hunt for the Blood Demon was about to begin.