232. Aedirn... Has a Problem!
"What's wrong?"
Mary noticed that Allen seemed a little distracted when he heard the name of the little monster. Curious, she asked: "Is there something wrong with the name Yennefer?"
The little monster's body tensed up as well, and its ears twitched.
"There's nothing wrong," Allen gently shook his head and smiled, saying, "It's a good name…"
"A good name with the scent of lilac and gooseberries."
lilac and gooseberries?
What does that mean?
Mary glanced at Allen with a puzzled look.
But the young witcher smiled mysteriously without answering.
The little monster heard this and immediately relaxed. Though she didn't understand what the young witcher meant, hearing what sounded like praise, she timidly and proudly whispered: "That's the name my mom gave me!"
Then, after saying that one sentence, she lowered her head again, lost in thought. Allen and Mary exchanged glances and sighed. They both felt somewhat saddened, though to different degrees. Sensing the somber atmosphere, Allen changed the subject: "By the way, Mary, do you know how to test for magical talent?"
Mary was stunned for a moment and instinctively looked at the little monster: "You mean?"
Allen nodded and said: "I think Lady Vera might have room for one more apprentice."
Mary was momentarily speechless. Not to mention Lady Vera's admission standards, even magical talent itself wasn't something everyone possessed. Among the millions of humans on the Northern Continent, only a few hundred people had magical talent.
How could it be that you just randomly buy a child, and they end up having such a rare talent?
Mary thought Allen was dreaming. Even Vesemir, who was leading the way, turned his head when he heard this. Though he also thought it was unlikely, and there hadn't been enough time for Allen to make a prophecy…
But…
Allen could come up with alchemy formulas while riding a horse…
So, what if?
Mary wanted to argue, but she noticed the gaze of the little monster, partially hidden by her hair. After thinking about it, she realized that the deformities might indeed be caused by chaotic magic. And regardless of the probability, it wasn't appropriate to discuss this in front of the little monster, so she said: "Uh… I don't know how to test for magical talent, but Lady Vera certainly does. We can test when we return to Kaer Morhen…"
Seeing Allen nod, and the little monster's expectant gaze…
Mary didn't want them to feel disappointed or sad if they later found out there was no talent, so she added a precaution: "People with magical talent are one in a million, so don't get your hopes up too much."
"I understand." Allen nodded.
But the smile on his face didn't fade at all, leaving Vesemir and Mary puzzled.
Was he really that confident?
But before they could ask, they were interrupted by the sound of rapid hoofbeats approaching.
Soon after—
Clip-clop, clip-clop
The sound of hooves grew closer.
About a hundred heavily armored cavalry were approaching them. The black banner with red and yellow arrows of the Aedirn kingdom flapped loudly at the head of the formation.
Following closely behind was another black banner with red and yellow arrows, but this one also had a crown and a lance embroidered in gold.
"It's the king's knights from Aedirn. Let's move aside."
Vesemir explained in a low voice, then tugged on the reins, guiding his horse to the side of the road to avoid blocking the path of Aedirn's royal knights.
However…
The middle-aged knight leading the group didn't ignore the three of them as they stood by the road; he rode directly toward them.
He raised his right hand and clenched his fist, prompting the herald beside him to shout with a strong voice: "Halt!"
The two rows of cavalry stopped almost instantly. The middle-aged knight squinted his eyes, carefully examining Vesemir, Allen, and Mary. His gaze lingered particularly long on the archgriffin's head hanging from Allen's horse, then shifted to the two swords on Vesemir and Allen's backs.
After a few seconds, he pulled on his reins, and the shiny black horse beneath him obediently stepped toward the three of them.
"I am Terek, deputy commander of Aedirn's royal knights…" the middle-aged knight paused, then pointed his whip at the archgriffin's head, his face serious as he asked, "Witcher, is this the monster that attacked the merchants?"
Vesemir nodded, not bothered by the knight's somewhat disrespectful tone.
In recent years, the attitudes of two countries surrounding the Ban Ard Academy had been greatly influenced by sorcerers, and their acceptance of witchers had steadily declined. Slander and rumors about witchers spread most widely in these two countries. So, Vesemir was used to it.
"This is a archgriffin. It's the one that attacked the caravans on the road."
"A archgriffin!"
The knight had clearly heard of such a creature. His tone was doubtful as he glanced at the monster's head hanging from Allen's saddle.
"This is a archgriffin?"
"I heard that the heads of archgriffins are much larger than those of regular griffins. How could it be this small?"
Hearing someone question the spoils of battle that Allen had risked his life for, Mary pulled on her reins and stepped forward before Vesemir could speak.
"It's been shrunken…" Mary puffed out her cheeks as she explained angrily, "I used a shrinking spell on the archgriffin's head…"
"This spell can reduce the size of the object to a third of its original volume…"
Seeing that it was a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl speaking, Terek hesitated for a second before interrupting: "And you are?"
"I am Lady Vera's apprentice, sorceress Margarita Laux-Antille." Mary replied curtly.
Lady Vera…
Terek was momentarily confused.
"Some refer to Lady Vera as the Scarlet Fox…"
Vesemir added helpfully.
In an instant.
Terek's expression changed.
Unlike the neutral wolf school witchers, the Scarlet Fox was a hero in the second great war against the elves. Countless elves had died under her spells. The bloodshed was immense. Terek had grown up hearing her stories.
More importantly, her alchemical skills were renowned, particularly in concocting potions that prolonged life, and she had connections with many notable figures in the Northern Kingdoms.
On top of that, her methods were notorious for being both strange and bloody, and she was known to be temperamental and vengeful. If there were a ranking of the most dangerous people on the Northern Continent, Vera would surely be near the top.
So…
Terek immediately straightened his posture on his horse and said: "My apologies, esteemed Lady Margarita. It was my mistake."
Mary snorted lightly in response and asked: "Do you need me to undo the spell so you can see the true form of the archgriffin?"
"No, no…" Terek waved his hand hurriedly.
He didn't doubt her identity.
After all, anyone capable of hunting a griffin or archgriffin would be someone of note. And the more powerful someone was, the less likely they were to impersonate the Scarlet Fox.
"In that case, please follow me into the city. His Majesty the King will be most pleased to see you."
Terek bent slightly, inviting them. The cold, hostile expression on his face disappeared instantly. Even when facing Vesemir and Allen, his face carried a stiff smile.
Was Lady Vera's name really that influential?
Allen looked at Mary in surprise. Mary proudly raised her head, thinking Allen was thanking her for safeguarding their spoils and honor. Vesemir nodded to the middle-aged knight and gestured for Allen and Mary to follow.
After entering the cavalry unit, Terek whispered a few words into his adjutant's ear. However, they were overheard by the keen senses of both Vesemir and Allen.
"You take a squad to search for the monster's corpse…"
"Whether you find it or not, report back to me at the royal city."
It was clear.
The middle-aged knight didn't fully believe Mary's words. It was only out of respect—or perhaps fear—of Lady Vera that he refrained from having Mary reattach the griffin's head. But neither witcher showed any reaction, pretending they hadn't heard a thing. After all, being cautious when dealing with matters concerning the king was perfectly normal.
Besides.
They hadn't lied. The archgriffin's corpse was still lying untouched where they had left it.
So.
They followed Terek, nonchalantly observing the overall structure of the Aedirn Royal Knights. The sound of hooves clattered as an adjutant led four knights galloping along the road Allen had taken earlier. Another adjutant, following Terek's orders, commanded the group to head towards Vengerberg.
"How rude of me."
After organizing the squad, Terek suddenly seemed to remember something and turned to Vesemir. "Besides Lady Margarita's name, I still don't know the names of the two witchers."
"The School of the Wolf, Vesemir."
"The School of the Wolf, Allen."
The two witchers introduced themselves.
"Vesemir?" Terek said in surprise. "If I'm not mistaken, you're supposed to be the youngest master witcher of the School of the Wolf, right?"
"I've heard stories about you from my father…"
"No wonder… no wonder you could kill the archgriffin…"
The youngest master witcher?
Vesemir smiled bitterly at those words, shaking his head.
"I'm no longer the youngest master witcher…"
"And I wasn't the one who killed the archgriffin…"
Terek froze as he saw Vesemir look at the young witcher, who couldn't have been more than sixteen, and pat Allen's youthful face.
"Allen…"
"He's the youngest master witcher of the School of the Wolf now, and likely the youngest ever. Moreover…"
"Allen is the one who killed the archgriffin…"
"What?" Terek was dumbfounded.
"Allen is the youngest master witcher and the one who killed the archgriffin!" Vesemir, thinking he hadn't heard clearly, proudly repeated.
As Terek stared at Allen, shocked to his core, Allen humbly waved his hand, feeling secretly pleased.
"I didn't kill the archgriffin on my own."
"Without Vesemir and Mary... Lady Margarita's help, I wouldn't have been able to handle it alone…"
Not necessarily…
Which meant… this boy named Allen really was the one who killed the archgriffin…
And he hadn't denied the first half of Vesemir's statement either.
As Terek looked at Allen's youthful face, his mind was still spinning. Beyond every mountain, there's another mountain, it was true!
Vesemir's words were true!
This young witcher, who didn't look older than his daughter, was actually a master witcher. Terek stared blankly at Allen's gentle, blue, cat-like eyes, his throat tightening with surprise as he instinctively swallowed.
Wait a minute!
Suddenly, Terek remembered something and glanced at Vesemir again.
Blue eyes…
Vesemir…
The School of the Wolf again…
"You're the Blue Death who killed six large monsters in Ban Ard during the Curse of the Black Sun!"
Terek exclaimed in shock. Had the news of the Apprentice Tournament already reached Aedirn?
Allen was surprised. But then, remembering the many sorcerers and apprentices who had left early, he understood. It was probably them who had spread the news.
But…
The Blue Death?
What kind of childish nickname was that?
"I don't know about any Blue Death," Allen shook his head, "but during the Apprentice Tournament, I did kill six large monsters…"
"Though, to be fair, the last four had already been severely weakened by the grandmaster of the School of the Wolf, Sol. I merely finished them off…"
So, the Blue Death really was him.
Terek glanced at Allen's eyes again. They suddenly felt different.
In those calm blue cat-eyes, it seemed as though an entire ocean was hidden, ready to unleash a devastating storm with just a gust of wind. He didn't need to wait for that squad to report back. He believed that the fearsome eagle's head hanging on that black mare truly was the head of the archgriffin.
Suddenly.
Another important question came to his mind.
"Is the 'Big Eater' of Kaedwen really dead?" Terek asked.
Allen paused for a moment, glanced at Vesemir, then nodded solemnly.
"He's dead."
"I saw it with my own eyes!"
-----------------
Vengerberg.
Like all major cities of the Northern Continent, its gates and walls were grand and imposing, guarded by fierce soldiers wielding sharp weapons…
Of course.
The most similar feature was the crowded masses at the gates.
In fact, compared to Ban Ard, Vengerberg, as one of the wealthiest cities in the Northern Kingdoms, had an even larger population. It was shoulder-to-shoulder packed. However, with the Royal Knights leading them, there was no need for them to line up behind the commoners and merchants, as they had in Ban Ard.
Riding past several carts filled with sacks of grain, Allen, Vesemir, and Mary entered the city. But something puzzled Allen. Ever since he had answered Terek's question about the Kaedwen's king's death, Vesemir had been frowning slightly, as though something was bothering him.
It was only when Clay—Allen's Child of Destiny—was about to wake up that Vesemir would give him a reassuring "Okay."
And after entering the city gates, Vesemir's brow furrowed even more deeply.
"What's wrong, Master Vesemir?" Allen's lips moved slightly, barely perceptible. "Is something off?"
Hearing Allen's voice, Vesemir glanced at Terek, who was walking ahead, assigning tasks to his men, and replied in a low voice.
"I'll tell you when we reach the inn…"
He hesitated for a few seconds, then added: "Aedirn…"
"Has a problem!"
....…
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233: War? War!
234. The Witcher Who Changed the Future.
235. Archgriffin, Give Me Some Points!
236. Set a Small Goal First!
237. The Iron Knight Flying in the Sky and the Ominous Skeleton Soldiers.