Volume 2 Chapter 23: Entering the Forest

Qin Lun sighed quietly to himself. He suddenly understood.

Bonnie, Laura, and the others might not know Stephen’s true cause of death, thinking only that their brother was killed by a witch. Baron Albert hid certain truths not just from outsiders but also from his own people. And that white figure, likely Stephen’s wife Mary Albert, might have been observing him all along, wanting to reveal the hidden facts behind it all.

If Qin Lun had delayed joining the Demon Hunter organization for a few days, that white figure might have come to talk to him directly. Then he would have known by now whether Stephen was truly dead, where the missing “corpse” was, and perhaps his Otherworld Mission might already have been completed.

However, in that case, Qin Lun definitely would not have joined this scouting mission to the Maiar Forest in time. Even if he joined the Demon Hunter organization later, Baron Albert, who had been in contact with their headquarters, would not have invited him to this reconnaissance.

It was hard to say which of these two outcomes was better or worse. But going on as things were now, if Qin Lun couldn’t find other clues in the Maiar Forest, his Serial Killer’s first Otherworld Mission would almost certainly fail.

“Doctor Stan, what are you thinking about?” Nova of the King’s Flower had already returned to her seat while Qin Lun was lost in thought.

“Oh, nothing! Thank you for the handgun, Lady Nova!” Understanding why Nova had taken special interest in him, Qin Lun finally returned to normal.

“No trouble at all!” Nova waved her hand grandly and began tackling the mountain of food in front of her.

“Hey, Doctor Stan, at first you probably thought Lady Nova… ahem!” Odo started, but then Qin Lun glared at him with an expressionless face, startling him so much he nearly choked and ended up coughing awkwardly. “Relax, the King’s Flower isn’t interested in a beanpole like you. Only Katharine would fancy someone as refined as you!”

Katharine! Qin Lun paused briefly, recalling the long-unseen innkeeper.

…

“Achoo!” The middle-aged beauty sitting behind the bar felt her nose itch and sneezed several times in a row.

“Katharine, hasn’t Doctor Stan come back yet?” A simple-faced young woman leaned over the counter and whispered.

“Not yet!” Katharine glanced at the woman, lazily propping herself on a high stool, distractedly wiping the counter. “Don’t worry, when he does come back, I’ll make sure he treats your husband first!”

“Really? Thank you so much, sister Katharine!” The young woman’s face flushed with happiness as she bowed gratefully.

But Katharine wasn’t in the mood to console her further. Her gaze drifted absently among the steady stream of customers in the inn.

Ever since the townsfolk learned Qin Lun might be able to cure the Epidemic Disease, the inn’s business had steadily improved. Even after the doctor left town and went to Albert Castle, it didn’t dampen the townspeople’s enthusiasm for Katharine’s inn.

Everyone in Audiya Town knew that the innkeeper had something going on with that young Doctor Stan. Getting familiar with her now, building some connection, would be useful—even if no one in the family was sick, it was a good precaution.

Katharine’s inn had surpassed the business of Odo’s inn next door for the first time in years. In the past, Katharine would have been thrilled. But now, seeing the bleak, anxious state of the townspeople, she simply couldn’t feel happy.

Sitting behind the bar, the middle-aged beauty often noticed the customers sneaking glances at her. In the past, whether the onlooker was a man or woman, young or old, the flirtatious innkeeper would have puffed out her chest and confidently thrown a seductive look, just to stun them. Now, she just didn’t feel like it anymore.

Katharine knew they weren’t really looking at her—they hoped to get some news about Qin Lun from her.

You scoundrel, why are you taking so long? Haven’t you come back yet? Didn’t you say you’d come see Katharine again? If I died from this plague, would you even feel a little sad? Or would you forget all about me and find some younger girl?

The innkeeper missed Qin Lun with a heart full of resentment. Although she acted like his partner, making all sorts of promises about his treatments on his behalf, deep down, Katharine knew she was fooling herself like a love-struck maiden.

Maybe he won’t even come back to this inn at all. Katharine’s alluring eyes grew misty, and she unconsciously stopped her work, leaning dreamily against the chair.

…

“Young master, are you getting used to riding the horse?” Frank asked, turning his head from the driver’s seat of the carriage.

The hunchbacked servant’s wounds had mostly scarred over, even the stab wound through his shoulder had healed well and hadn’t reopened. The life essence within the World Tree Dew truly had strong healing power.

Qin Lun nodded, carefully holding the reins and sitting upright on horseback. Last night’s banquet had ended quite early. The Demon Hunters all had strong self-control; no one got drunk the night before a mission.

The Demon Hunter scouting team set out in the morning. To Qin Lun’s surprise, Baron Albert did not join this mission. Only Bonnie Albert from the Albert Family took part in the reconnaissance, serving as the nominal leader of the team.

In reality, the whole Demon Hunter group was split into five or six small teams, appearing quite disorganized. Qin Lun had once asked Odo whether it would be better to elect a single leader for the group.

On this matter, Odo didn’t mock Qin Lun but answered seriously. The current situation actually related to how Demon Hunters fought. They possessed various combat abilities, strong physiques, and great self-defense skills. Staying too close together actually hindered their movements.

Past experience showed that forcing Demon Hunters into a unified army didn’t produce a 1+1>2 effect—instead, it became 1+1