After selecting the three paintings, Lann was about to call the servants into the room, but suddenly heard a hurried knock on the door.
"My lord, my lord! Something's wrong!"
Lann was stunned. It seemed to be House. Shouldn't he be in the butler group? Why is he back now?
"Come in!"
House burst into the room with a worried face, but before he could say anything, a deafening sound echoed.
"Woo--"
The sound was loud enough for everyone in Hagge Castle to hear. It was a military bugle.
"Enemy attack?"
Lann was startled. Who would have the courage to attack here, where the great northern powers gathered?
The corridor suddenly became noisy, with shouts, curses, and the sound of steel greaves hitting the ground.
Without waiting for an order from Lann, the soldiers of Cintra quickly and disciplinedly gathered in front of the gate. The guards of the other kings also took their places beside their lords, awaiting instructions.
Striding to the window, Lann looked around not far away, and within his sight was the military camp of Kaedwen.
A large fire ignited under the unicorn flag, and several figures rushed between the tents on stolen horses, splashing unknown liquids and various powders into the crowd.
It was night, and Lann could not see the faces of the figures, but the screams from far away in the barracks answered his doubts.
"Scoia'tael!!"
Lann frowned, and really didn't expect to encounter this organization in this place.
Throughout his journey, he had heard about the Scoia'tael many times, in different places and from different people.
In short, this is a guerrilla group composed of non-human races who are dissatisfied with the status quo under the oppression of humans in the North.
Like many organizations born to resist oppression, over time they had become corrupted.
Lann knew that some Scoia'tael leaders, for political reasons, would end up as officers in the Nilfgaard army, fighting the northern kingdoms on behalf of the humans.
In the timeline Lann was in, it was still early. In theory, the Scoia'tael should only be starting to gain strength in a small area, not having yet taken over the North. Right now, the Scoia'tael were still technically a decent guerrilla group, with no more than a hundred members. So where did they get the courage to attack Hagge Castle, which was guarded by a large army?
As Lann thought about this, his keen ears picked up something beyond the hubbub of human voices.
He suddenly raised his head and looked into the distance.
The moonlight was dim, and you could barely make out anything.
Without hesitation, he took out a [Cat] magic potion from his [Inventory], broke the wax seal, and drank it completely.
Within seconds, all the colors faded before his eyes, as if he were looking at a black and white photograph. However, the lines became sharper, revealing a whole new world to Lann.
In the distance, dark shadows approached, at least a dozen. Lann recognized some of them, like forktails, griffins, and other similar subspecies.
Beneath these flying creatures, figures were running frantically, but upon closer inspection, Lann realized that they were not fleeing, but rather deliberately luring.
Some of the faster runners managed to reach the camp surrounding the castle, spilling liquids and powders that Lann could not identify. Those who ran slower were torn apart by the creatures on the spot.
"Are they the Scoia'tael?"
The witchers of the Viper School stood behind Lann, each with bulging veins on their faces and glowing pupils, they had obviously also drunk the [Cat] potion.
"I was already saying that it was rare to find forktails and rotfiends at the same time on the road. I'm sure they're behind this."
Kolgrim stood there and watched as a Scoia'tael was slain by several swords, but in the last moment of his life he splattered things desperately everywhere.
"Scary fanatics. I bet what they're spilling is cattle blood and some rare herbs."
Auckes added: "Maybe there are even eggs of some flying monster."
Lann was not as relaxed as they were. "Something is wrong. They summoned a group of monsters so ostentatiously, which can only cause some riots at most, and can't shake the army here at all. But now they are so desperate, obviously there is something else going on."
"It's a dark and windy night, creating riots." As a professional assassin, Letho gave a professional opinion. "I think this is a preparation for assassination."
The witchers nodded in unison.
Suddenly, the edge of the camp shook as a large amount of earth rose sharply.
Before the witchers' eyes, a tall, thin, corroded, and ancient figure slowly emerged from the forest.
The creature looked like a living tree, with a trunk covered in bark. However, its body had arms and legs, and a humanoid shape. It even wore tattered clothing.
Around its waist hung an old apron, held by a hemp rope, adorned with some skulls of unknown animals.
On its shoulder rested a human skull, from which small green shoots sprouted, connecting the skull to the body.
The most terrifying thing was its head: a complete deer skull, with majestic antlers.
The creature gave off an eerie mix of life and decay, creating a sense of oppression and mystery.
Lann's eyes, strengthened by the [Cat] potion, shone even more brightly.
Inside the camp, some soldiers, hearing the commotion, ran towards the creature, but they were unable to organize themselves effectively.
Whether it was an infantry formation or a cavalry formation, it was difficult to deal with the monsters that could fly and hide, and whose roar could make horses go crazy.
With the night falling, the archers could not effectively suppress the monsters with long-range attacks. On the contrary, some monsters that hunt at night became more ferocious under the cover of darkness.
The armies of the four kingdoms lacked the necessary experience to face such monsters. Even if they would eventually manage to defeat them, the cost in lives would be high.
Lann thought for a moment, turned around and gave the order. "Go help!"
"House, you lead the team. We are few in number, so hide behind the main force and don't be too aggressive. Shoot a few arrows from a distance and let the soldiers of other kingdoms take the lead. Be smart."
"I have only one request, I want the mutation inducer of that Leshen!"
"Yes, sir!" The servants and soldiers accepted the order. They would not hesitate to fight for what the earl asked for even if they had to sacrifice their lives.
"That's not just an ordinary Leshen." Letho suddenly said. "Looking at its size and the power of the spells it casts, it is an ancient and powerful Leshen. The decoction made from it has a great effect on strengthening signs and is indeed very suitable for the Griffin School."
"We will get it for you, my lord!" the group said, even more excited by Letho's words.
Lann nodded with satisfaction.
"One more thing." Lann suddenly said. "You only fight monsters. You don't get involved in fighting the Scoia'tael unless they attack you first."
"Do you have something on your mind?" Letho also has a strong political sense, but he rarely thinks about problems from this perspective. At this time, Lann's order made him have some associations.
"They are useful to me." Lann simply replied. "Very useful."
With that, Lann unsheathed the Aerondight Sword and left the room.
"Where are you going? Aren't you coming to hunt monsters with us?"
"First I'll go see the king the Scoia'tael want to kill!"
"Do you know who the Scoia'tael is going to kill?"
Lann chuckled. "Who else could it be?"
...
"Call for reinforcements, quickly! There are enemies! Protect the king!"
A guard, wearing a unicorn emblem, ran desperately to the top of the castle, determined to send a signal to his companions on the border to come and save the monarch.
But suddenly he was knocked down by a kick.
The owner of that kick was a man with a pirate-style beard and small, cunning eyes full of fury.
It was Henselt, lord of Kaedwen.
"Fool, it's just the Scoia'tael and the monsters they summoned! There are armies of four kingdoms stationed here! Are you asking for help now? Do you want to surrender to the Scoia'tael? Do you want to make Kaedwen a laughing stock?"
"Your Majesty!" The guard fell to his knees, hitting the ground. "The situation is critical, your safety is the most important!"
The loyal guard wanted to give advice to the monarch, but an arrow flew out of the darkness and suddenly pierced his neck. The huge impact force took him away and almost bent his spine.
[Twang!]
The dull sound of the bowstring being released echoed for a long time. From its loudness, one could tell that it had been shot by an extremely powerful bow.
"Your Majesty!" A more agile guard brought Henselt down just in time, but an arrow soon lodged in his back.
From the darkness emerged Iorveth.
He seemed to have endless energy. Seeing that there was no way to kill Henselt quickly, he immediately turned his target to Henselt's guards. He soon killed the third and fourth people, and then the knights raised their shields and pressed towards him.
Meanwhile, more Scoia'tael were climbing into the fortress. The group was organized into squads of twelve, and at least three squads, a total of thirty-six warriors, were already in position.
"How is it possible? The fortress is heavily guarded. How could you sneak in through such a tight siege, damn Scoia'tael!"
Some knights of Kaedwen were furious.
And they were right. Despite the small forces brought by Queen Meve and Lann, Hagge Castle was heavily manned by the armies of the Four Kingdoms, and the defense was rigorous.
However, distrust between the various kingdoms had led them to keep an eye on each other, rather than on external enemies, allowing the Scoia'tael, well familiar with the terrain, to sneak to the top of the fortress amidst the chaos.
The knights of Kaedwen made a prompt decision. "Blow the horn, let the other kings in the castle come to support us!"
"Woo~"
The deep sound of a trumpet echoed through the night, as the Scoia'tael and the guards were already engaged in combat.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured that these Scoia'tael will not disturb you again." The knight turned back and assured Henselt firmly, "And now..."
He turned around and shouted to the king's guards, and his voice suddenly changed the sound of horns and fighting: "Men, now is the time for us to fulfill our oath!"
"Yes!" The soldiers roared.
Although the Scoia'tael outnumbered the royal guard, they wore light armor, while the humans wore full armor, giving them an advantage in a frontal charge.
[Swish! Swish! Swish!]
There were continuous arrows shooting from the direction of the Scoia'tael, most of which were blocked by thick shields. When a knight was about to rush to Iorveth, he suddenly felt his helmet shaking wildly, and severe pain and dizziness surged up at the same time.
A fist-sized rock swung in a perfect arc, bypassing his shield and crushing his helmet.
The halfling slingshotter at the back of the team was throwing rocks with his sling, and without needing to aim precisely, another rock went flying.
Although more fragile than dwarves, halflings had a natural talent for throwing. Their projectiles did not reach the distance of an arrow, but within a radius of ten paces, they were devastating, even against a fully armored knight.
The second bolt struck the same spot on the helmet, knocking the knight down. Iorveth took advantage of the opportunity and, with a dagger, pierced the slot in the helmet.
More Scoia'tael broke through the front lines, and the battle between them and Kaedwen's guards became a chaos of swords, blood, and bodies falling everywhere.
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