Huh? Margareta?
Allen was surprised as he looked at the young woman in front of him. He certainly knew who Margarita Laux-Antille was. In the original work, she was the sorceress most admired by Tissaia de Vries, the future headmistress of Aretuza Academy, and one of the founders of the Lodge of Sorceresses.
Among the Lodge, she was the most accomplished in magic. Her character was gentle and righteous. In "The Lady of the Lake," when the Lodge of Sorceresses discussed sacrificing Ciri for a political marriage to achieve their goals and whether they should allow Ciri to reunite with Geralt, who had come from afar, Margarita voted in favor of their reunion, arguing that the Lodge's decisions should not come at the cost of personal choice.
Her potential, character, and outstanding appearance—all made her a top-tier SSR (Super Super Rare).
"What's wrong? Is there a problem with my name?" Margarita asked, puzzled, as she checked her signature, not noticing any mistakes.
"No problem, no problem," Allen quickly assured her. Margarita had mentioned in passing that she was from Aretuza, but wasn't Margarita supposed to be Tissaia's apprentice? Why was she now Vera's apprentice?
Curious, Allen asked, "Lady Vera, do you know Tissaia?"
"Hmm? You've heard of Tissaia?" Vera seemed surprised for a moment, then gently replied, "She's my best friend. Margarita was recommended to me by her."
Best friend?
Hearing this, Allen immediately felt a deep respect. Although he had heard many rumors about Lady Vera, this revelation about her connections again underscored how powerful she truly was. Tissaia, like Hen Gedymdeith of Ban Ard Academy, was one of the five members of the Conclave, standing at the pinnacle of sorcerer power.
His attention returned to Margarita. She was now seriously reciting the training plan Allen had just written, fully considering herself a member of the Witcher Corps. Thinking that the currently somewhat naive Margarita would one day become such a powerful figure and yet still work for his Corps in the future, a strong sense of unreality washed over Allen.
After reporting the appointment of the Corps' sorceress to the Chief and getting approval, Allen continued leading his Corps and their Drowner scouts to trouble the Drowners around Kaer Morhen. As the weather warmed, Drowners, like weeds, would sprout here and there along streams and rivers. Though they appeared in small groups, their numbers were just right for the apprentices to practice in real combat.
In just a few days, the Corps leveled up to Rank 3, unlocking five more member slots. All members' Wolf School longswords were upgraded to Level 2, and their strength and constitution attributes also increased to the limit set by the Drowner heart extract—9 points in strength and 13 in constitution. With such strength, they were almost as powerful as witchers who had been "trial by traveling" with a mentor for five years. The only difference was that they had more teamwork and discipline.
At least in single combat, perhaps a witcher with five years of training and a Corps member could both kill a fully armored knight. But when outnumbered, non-Corps members would be slaughtered by a group of knights, while Corps members would still maintain an advantage.
And so, time flew by in training and real combat.
The mountain trial was upon them again!
----------
By the shores of Killer Lake, with a view of the towering Blue Mountains and the shimmering lake, eleven figures advanced from the right bank towards the Circle of Elements. Dandelion couldn't help but sigh, "Witnessing two mountain trials in one winter—this is an unprecedented experience."
"Have you ever heard of a Witcher School with its own Corps?" Vesemir retorted irritably.
"Well, no. Cat, Bear, Griffin, Viper, even the Manticore on the other side of the Blue Mountains—I've never heard of any of them forming a Corps," Dandelion agreed, then added, with some concern, "Witchers have always been solitary. I don't know if this is good or bad."
"We are merely defending ourselves, responding to the Chief's prophetic dream. As long as we adhere to the principle of neutrality…" Whitelock's voice faltered, stroking his white beard with uncertainty.
The principle of neutrality of the Wolf School originally stemmed from lessons learned during the Witcher Order. At that time, the Order, due to differing ideologies and the influence of commoners, rulers, mages, and the Church, erupted into a civil war with heavy casualties. Therefore, when the Wolf School was established, neutrality became a core principle—to hunt monsters and protect the Continent, without involving themselves in the power struggles of various factions, believing this would prevent a repeat of the Order's tragic history.
But…
If the Chief's prophetic dream were true, and the Wolf School was destined for destruction, what good would adhering to the principle of neutrality do?
Whitelock sighed inwardly and glanced at Aristo, then tried to reassure him: "With Aristo overseeing things, there shouldn't be any problems."
Aristo, arms crossed, sensed Whitelock's gaze, nodded, and said, "I'll keep an eye on things. Don't worry."
Sensing that the atmosphere had become heavy due to the prophetic dream, Dandelion sighed inwardly and changed the subject: "Vesemir, Aristo, this mountain trial is different from the past ones—you won't be going easy on them, will you?"
Vesemir and Aristo exchanged glances. Finally, Vesemir spoke: "The shores of Killer Lake are so dangerous for the apprentices that there's no way to go easy on them."
"Aristo and I have been busy these days clearing out monsters that exceed the apprentices' capabilities," Vesemir continued.
Aristo nodded in agreement. These past few days of clearing out the eastern shore of Killer Lake had exhausted him. As the vice-commander, he barely had time to check in on the Corps' training. Who knows how the apprentices are doing?
"Seriously?" Dandelion was surprised. "Isn't Allen there?"
Vesemir shook his head. While others might be deceived by Allen's achievement of hunting three large monsters, he wouldn't be. Just over a month ago, Vesemir had hunted an Dwowner King alongside Allen. "Allen's strength lies in his swordsmanship, potions, quick thinking, and the unique talent of the Witcher's Eye. Although he learns Signs quickly, due to the growth rate of his mutated organs, the proficiency and power of his Signs have not significantly improved in such a short time. And Signs are the key to dealing with group battles. Moreover…" Vesemir paused before continuing, "Moreover, he has to lead nine people through the trial."
"Hughes, Bond, and Fred are only slightly stronger than apprentices who have just passed their trials, so they won't be much help. And among those seven apprentices, some can barely wield a sword properly."
Aristo nodded slightly, adding with concern, "Even dealing with a group of Drowners is already difficult. During our route clearing, we even encountered Foglets and Necrophages. You all know how troublesome these monsters are. Even though we cleared the area twice yesterday, I'm still not sure what monsters Allen and the others will face today."
"Maybe we should…" Aristo began.
"This is the mountain trial, Aristo," Whitelock said, patting him on the shoulder. "Destiny will favor the true witchers!"
Hearing this, Aristo sighed, thinking of the expelled Sully, feeling a bit dejected. "Let's hope so. I'm not worried about Allen's safety. I just hope he won't be devestated by this mountain trial."
...…
📢20 advanced chapters on p@treaon📢
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129. Resonance.
130. What Are You Doing?
131. The Child of Destiny and the Child of Miracles.
132. The Acting Chief of the Wolf School.
133. Messenger Bird.