251. Who's Calling Me?
"Donato Rogrides?" Allen looked up at Lysa. "Who is this?"
"Donato Rogrides is a duke of Kaedwen," Lysa replied. "His child was taken by Witchers of the Wolf School under the Law of Surprise and died during the Trial..."
"The Rogrides family has a lot of business dealings with Ban Ard..."
Business dealings with Ban Ard...
Allen's eyes lit up as he glanced at the other names on the paper.
"So, these other names are the same?"
Lysa nodded. "The other names also belong to those who've had conflicts with Witchers, or at least nobles whose political stances favor sorcerers."
"Marquis Junio West also had his child taken by Witchers under the Law of Surprise..."
"And then there's Count Harley McKane, Viscount Mins Isaac, Count Edison Roy..."
"These nobles had their children taken by Witchers..."
"Some of these children were even the first heirs to their family titles..."
Hearing this, Allen was a bit taken aback. The Wolf School had made so many enemies, no wonder they were hit so hard in the end.
The young priestess seemed to see through Allen's expression and guessed his thoughts, offering reassurance: "The children who were taken were all from noble families that had once been saved by Witchers..."
"I've asked Nenneke about this. When there's money to be made, very few Witchers would willingly invoke the Law of Surprise..."
"So, it wasn't the Witchers who stole their children. It was fate, acting through the Witchers, that took them..."
Allen knew this too.
He had once asked Vesemir, and most of the children Vesemir brought to Kaer Morhen were from poor families who couldn't afford to pay for a Witcher's services. When it came to nobles, no Witcher from the Wolf School would proactively invoke the Law of Surprise.
Unless...
Fate called them.
After all, each noble was like a local emperor. What sensible Witcher would willingly make an enemy out of them?
"Thank you," Allen said, grateful for Lysa's reassurance. "Not many people understand Witchers as deeply as you do."
Lysa blushed slightly.
"Well, that's because when Lady Vera first brought me here, I hadn't yet given up on the idea of becoming a Witcher myself..."
"So I made it a point to learn a bit..."
This topic seemed to make the young priestess a little shy, so she quickly steered the conversation back to the list in her hand: "And then there's Viscount Mathieu Dor, Baron Hoel Simone..."
"These families have businesses tied to sorcerers, or they have children who are sorcerers at Ban Ard..."
"And..."
After rattling off a series of names and their backgrounds, Lysa took a deep breath and looked expectantly at the Witcher's sharp blue cat eyes, softly asking: "Will this information help you?"
It would be incredibly helpful.
Even though the current stance of the school was to remain neutral, it wouldn't be wise to directly target these nobles. But just knowing these names would be useful.
At the very least, they could investigate whether Witcher casualties in these noble territories were due to natural causes or something more sinister...
Allen looked seriously at Lysa and said: "This information is very valuable to us. Thank you, Lysa."
"I'm glad it helps." Lysa, feeling a little awkward under Allen's gaze, turned her head slightly.
"Ever since I arrived in Ellander, I've been thinking about how to repay you for saving my life."
"But I couldn't think of anything..."
"After all, I have little power of my own and no money..."
"Fortunately, half a month ago, a woman came to the temple to pray to the Lady..."
"She's the wife of one of Duke Ellander's close vassals, currently teaching the duke's daughter etiquette and dance..."
"She's my aunt, my mother's younger sister..."
"It's been nearly eight years. The last time we saw each other, I was probably still a toddler. I don't even know how she recognized me..."
A reunion with family is a good thing, but Allen couldn't help but wonder if there was some hidden plot behind it.
After all, once a child grows up, it's one thing to recognize them after a few years or a decade. But before the age of ten, children change a lot every year. So, Allen pondered for a few moments before asking: "Is it safe for your identity to be known?"
Lysa was momentarily stunned, but after a couple of seconds, she understood his concern and gently shook her head.
"Thank you for your concern."
"I believe she's trustworthy. I vaguely remember that my mother and her sister had a very close relationship..."
"When she heard about my mother, she seemed truly heartbroken."
"Besides..."
"I'm now a priestess of the Melitele temple. As long as I remain here, no plot can touch me, and..."
"Henselt is already dead..."
Allen nodded slightly, not saying anything more. After all, this was family, and saying more would risk sounding like an attempt to sow discord. Lysa raised the lantern in her hand and glanced at the list.
"After reuniting with my aunt, we chatted, and I found out that she's familiar with nobles from Kaedwen and Temeria. That's when I thought of you... you Witchers..."
"I remember hearing that the Wolf School had trouble with kings and sorcerers, so I asked her to help me gather some information."
"Because time was a bit tight, this is just a list of Kaedwen's nobles who have grievances with Witchers for now..."
"There are carrier pigeons in the temple that know the way to Kaer Morhen."
"When I find more names, I'll send them to you using the pigeons..."
"Will this put you in danger?" Allen hesitated.
Lysa shook her head and said: "I'm just asking about past events. Plenty of noblewomen are fascinated by stories of Witchers. It's not a big deal."
"I'm just keeping this from Nenneke because I don't want to involve her in this."
After thinking about it carefully, Allen realized that this was true.
There were only a few active Witcher schools in the Northern Continent: the Wolves, the Griffins, the Cats, and the Bears. Except for the Cat School, none of the other Witchers involved themselves in politics, and their numbers were few. Unless they had taken someone's child, they rarely clashed sharply with most nobles.
Moreover, Witchers were mysterious and powerful, making them popular gossip for bored noblewomen. So, Allen decided not to refuse any further.
"Thank you, Lysa."
"This list will indeed be very helpful to us!"
"No need to thank me, as long as it helps." Lysa shook her head and sighed. "This is all I can do for now."
Seeing the young priestess's forlorn expression, Allen knew she was thinking of the past again and sighed, gently patting her shoulder.
"I'm fine." Lysa's body trembled slightly, but she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and smiled warmly as usual.
"It's late. That's all I had to say, so I won't disturb your rest."
Allen nodded slightly and was about to carefully fold the list and bid the young priestess farewell when suddenly—
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed two names that Lysa hadn't mentioned. Curious, he asked: "By the way, who are Voivend Araya and Gelson Gardner on this list?"
Before he could finish his sentence, the previously forlorn priestess froze, her cheeks flushing. After hesitating for a few seconds, she softly said:
"Viscount Voivend Araya and Master Vesemir had a... well... fierce conflict in Ard Carraigh over a... uh... flamboyant lady..."
"As for Earl Gelson Gardner..." The young priestess looked troubled, hesitated for a few seconds, then said, "He once dueled Master Vesemir over his then-fiancée..."
A flamboyant lady?
A fiancée?
Allen smacked his lips.
Oh, wow!
Was Vesemir this wild back in the day?
But then again, thinking of that book "The Witcher Master and Night Succubus's Thousand and One Nights." by Robin, it didn't seem that surprising.
"What was the result of the duel?" Allen was curious.
Lysa said, "Master Vesemir won, and Earl Gelson Gardner spent half a year recovering from his injuries before he got married..."
"To the same fiancée?"
Lysa blushed and nodded.
Allen marveled inwardly, 'Not bad for someone who fought a Succubus...'
"Earl Gelson Gardner's wife was the Duke's daughter, and at the time, he was only a baron..." Lysa added as an explanation.
Allen immediately understood. No wonder he ended up on Lysa's list. Swallowing pride for a title like that, it must have been a grudge as deep as the sea.
-----------------------
"Tap, tap, tap~"
The crisp and distant sound of footsteps echoed in the sanctuary's corridor. The flickering candle in the witcher's hand cast a large shadow on the pure white walls. However, even though there was only one candle in the corridor, it felt surprisingly calm, without any eerie or spooky atmosphere.
On the contrary, the moment Allen crossed the threshold into the sanctuary, he felt a sense of lightness, like a heavy burden had suddenly been lifted. It was as if another person, who had been attached to his body, had just left.
"I didn't notice this afternoon, but this lighter feeling must be the curse of the Eyeball God lifting, right?"
His free left hand stroked his chin, feeling the scratchy stubble. Recently, it seemed this body had started growing a beard.
Unbothered by the unfamiliar sensation, the witcher recalled how he had felt when leaving the sanctuary that afternoon.
"Does the lesser weight mean more of the curse has been dispelled?"
"And where exactly is this weight attached?"
"Is it the soul?"
Allen muttered quietly to himself, not afraid that someone might suddenly answer him in the dead of night.
"Creak~"
The wooden door groaned in the candlelight. Its clear echo bounced through the empty corridor. The statue of the goddess Melitele remained unchanged from the day. Each of her three aspects had cracks and chips. Yet, mysteriously, not a single crack or chip appeared on the three faces of the statue.
The young girl's face was playful, the pregnant woman's gentle, and the elderly woman's kind.
They seemed almost lifelike.
It was unclear whether this statue was sculpted by some great artist or nurtured by Melitele's divine power.
This was a mystery as puzzling as the chicken-and-egg question, one even the priestesses devoted to Melitele couldn't answer.
But one thing was certain.
Melitele wasn't ascended from a mortal. And her history wasn't that old. Staring at the statue and lost in his thoughts for a long time, Allen saw no reaction from it. He sighed, found a corner, and knelt down.
Although he hadn't shown it in front of Vesemir, Vera, or the others, he was still deeply concerned about the strange occurrences from that afternoon and the High Priestess Ianna's odd behavior in the evening.
After all...
This curse affected whether he could use his blink ability properly...
More importantly...
Allen focused his thoughts.
'Ding! Absorbing fragment of the Gate of Ard Geat...'
It had already been a month, and the fragment of the Gate of Ard Gaeth was still being absorbed.
The Mirage Pearl, after absorbing the dead Mirage Pearl, had also shown no signs of awakening. Although the only connection between the two was Allen himself, he couldn't help but wonder if this curse was causing problems.
"I hope everything goes well~" Allen sighed.
"Whoosh~"
The candle flame, encased in a crystal cover, was extinguished. The world plunged into darkness.
-------------------
"Allen..."
"Allen..."
Someone was calling out to him in the dark.
Who was calling?
Who was being called?
Once the witcher became aware of this, he suddenly surfaced from the depths of slumber, opening his eyes sharply.
A girl in a simple gray dress was crouched before him, taking croissants, milk, and two boiled eggs out of a nearby basket.
It was Lysa...
"Allen, you're awake?" she said with a warm smile.
The sunlight glinted off her dark brown hair, tied up and shining like golden threads.
"Awake?"
Allen was dazed for a few seconds, but his expression quickly became serious.
He abruptly stood up and looked through the open window at the tall, verdant ash tree and the vast blue sky.
"Tweet, tweet~"
Magpies chirped; the sun was already high in the sky.
"What's wrong?"
Lysa looked at the witcher with confusion at his strange behavior.
"I... I fell asleep..." Allen responded absentmindedly, bewildered.
"Pfft~" Lysa chuckled, glancing at a spot on the ground. "Of course you did, and you slept quite soundly!"
Allen followed her gaze.
A puddle of sparkling liquid reflected the sunlight. It was clear evidence of him drooling in his sleep. And quite a lot of it, too.
Allen's face flushed, but before he could explain, Lysa pulled out a cloth from her basket and wiped the liquid clean.
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
Allen had met many people who said that but still spread secrets far and wide.
Yet, looking at the gentle smile on the young priestess's face, Allen had an odd feeling that she truly would keep their secret.
No matter what kind of secret it was, no matter the cost...
This strange sensation left Allen momentarily stunned, almost making him forget the real issue.
How could he, a witcher who had replaced sleep with meditation for over a month, have fallen asleep in such a simple place?
But just as he was about to say something...
"You should hurry and eat. High Priestess Ianna should be arriving soon." After setting the food, Lysa squatted nearby, watching him.
Allen thought for a moment and realized there was no point in telling Lysa about it, as it would only cause unnecessary worry.
Taking a deep breath, he exhaled slowly, calming himself before sitting down to enjoy the breakfast Lysa had brought.
The milk was warm.
The croissant not only had the unique fragrance of freshly baked bread but also seemed to carry the taste of spring sunshine.
After finishing his simple breakfast, Lysa packed up the dishes, nodded at him, and left. As Allen waited for the arrival of the High Priestess, he quietly observed the unchanged statue from yesterday.
The young girl's face was playful, the pregnant woman's gentle, and the elderly woman's kind.
They seemed almost lifelike.
"Was it you calling me?"
..........
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252. The Destroyer of the World.
253. What Wolf Doesn't Eat the Lamb at Its Doorstep?
254. The Echo of Falka.
255. Where's the Ghoul?
256. He Is Already Dead!