Night.
In the capital city of Ard Carraigh.
The new king of Kaedwen, Lado, sat in a large oak chair in his study, feeling exhausted yet exhilarated.
"I didn't expect the discussion about the coronation ceremony to go so smoothly today; I thought those old fools would create some trouble…"
Lado muttered to himself, comfortably leaning back in his chair.
"Next…"
"Is the funeral for my father in a week, and… my coronation ceremony."
"Hopefully, everything will go smoothly…"
"But in a few days, my teacher will arrive; he must have a way to solve the problems I'm facing…"
Just as Lado was daydreaming about how to make his people prosperous and strengthen the kingdom of Kaedwen, his servant, Phyllis, rushed into the study, causing Lado to furrow his brow. However, considering Phyllis's past loyalty and the possible implications from other parties, he suppressed his dissatisfaction and kindly asked,"What happened?"
"Why are you in such a rush?"
Phyllis gasped for breath and said, "The merchant caravan from Vergen Fortress has reported that they were attacked by a griffin…"
"What!"
Before Phyllis could finish, Lado sprang up from his seat. He hurried past the oak table, approaching Phyllis with a worried expression, asking,"What about my teacher? How is he?"
The new king's sudden reaction startled Phyllis, who quickly replied,"Mr. Dyson is fine…"
Lado let out a sigh of relief, realizing he had lost his composure. He cleared his throat and curiously asked, "A griffin?"
"If I remember correctly, griffins are the most powerful large monsters after dragons…"
"How did they manage to escape?"
Phyllis hesitated for a moment before saying, "Because… because of two witchers from the Wolf School…"
"Witcher Master Vesemir and the newly renowned witcher Master Allen, known as the 'Blue Death'…"
Lado's expression grew complex upon hearing this. These two witchers were closely related to his father's death. Logically, he should hate them. After all, since that heartbreaking news arrived, countless people had come to comfort him, using the opportunity to accuse them of wrongdoing.
The most common excuse was that the late king had a tendency to eradicate the Wolf School, and since the Wolf School was the biggest beneficiary of the king's death, they could not escape suspicion.
But such words…
Were filled with errors that even they didn't believe themselves.
How could they blind his eyes and ears?
Lado even genuinely felt grateful to the few witchers of the Wolf School. They were the ones who killed those monsters and avenged his father. It was just unfortunate…
The current situation did not allow him to reward them in person. Otherwise, he would dismiss Kaedwen's court wizard and give witcher a position of magical advisor. After all, no matter how one looked at it, the neutral Wolf School was a hundred times better than the treacherous male wizards who reached out their claws where they shouldn't.
However…
Lado couldn't help but smile slightly.
That day was not far away.
Once his teacher arrived and he ascended the throne to take complete control of Kaedwen, he would make those freaks of Ban Ard realize what the consequences would be for conspiring against a king! Just as Lado was lost in thought about the wizards' grim fate…
"Knock, knock, knock~"
The knock on the door interrupted Lado's reverie.
"Your Highness, Duke Donato has come to pay his respects."
A guard's announcement came from outside the door.
Donato?
What could that old man possibly want at this hour?
Lado frowned, feeling that something was amiss. However, Duke Donato was one of the few great nobles of Ard Carraigh and had a distant family relationship with him, so he couldn't refuse to meet him. Thus,he took a deep breath and said, "Come in!"
"Creak~"
The door to the room opened.
"Knock, knock, knock~"
The sound of a solid wooden cane tapping slowly on the ground, whether intentionally or not, matched the rhythm of Lado's racing heart. It was exceedingly irritating.
Lado forced himself to relax his tightly furrowed brow and looked at the hunched old man, asking with some displeasure, "Duke Donato, it's quite late. Is there something that cannot wait until tomorrow?"
Donato shook his head and replied, "National matters cannot wait for tomorrow."
Though he claimed it was a national matter, Duke Donato's tone was calm and unhurried. Yet Lado could only endure it now and waited for him to continue.
"Bang!"
Donato tapped the ground with his cane: "Your Highness, war is coming!"
As soon as Duke Donato finished speaking, the entire study fell silent for several seconds.
"What? War?"
Lado, as if snapping back to reality, furrowed his brow tightly and asked, "Where is this war coming from?"
"From Aedirn, my child," Donato said, shaking his head in resignation. "I thought you should have already known; I didn't expect…"
Duke Donato's condescending attitude angered Lado, causing him to clench his fists, the veins on his forehead bulging. Before he could ask further,"Knock, knock, knock~"
After only a brief pause, Donato was already tapping his cane as he walked toward the door, saying, "Since Your Highness is not yet aware of this news, think about it carefully!"
"I will return tomorrow to discuss with Your Highness."
"Bang!"
The door slammed shut.
The study was quiet for quite a while.
The air felt as if it had solidified in the oppressive atmosphere. Phyllis and the other guards all lowered their heads, afraid to look at the soon-to-be-crowned King Lado, lest they provoke his ire.
"Bang!"
With a loud crash, Books and ink on the oak table were all sent crashing to the ground by the furious Lado.
"Damn old bastard!"
"How dare he humiliate me like this!!!"
Lado cursed loudly.
"Your Majesty…" Phyllis saw the situation and bravely attempted to offer some comfort. But to his surprise, Lado glared at him with red eyes and questioned loudly,"Why!"
"Why did I have to hear such important news from a damn old man's mouth?"
"Huh?"
"What happened to my intelligence department?"
As a servant who had served two generations, Phyllis knew the king was enraged and didn't hold his questions against him. He hesitated for a moment, seeming somewhat troubled.
"Speak! Where are our intelligence officers?" Lado demanded through gritted teeth.
Phyllis, feeling helpless, could only say, "Ever since the late king ascended to the throne, the palace's intelligence officers have mostly been male wizards…"
"Their spells give them an inherent advantage in gathering intelligence…"
"So…"
Lado's face darkened upon hearing this.
No wonder…
No wonder he was the last to find out…
That old bastard Donato had just given him a slap in the face…
Wait!
A thought crossed Lado's mind.
Kaedwen's court wizards were also male wizards from Ban Ard, right?
"Did Teacher Dyson mention why the griffin attacked them?" Lado suddenly asked.
Phyllis was taken aback for a moment and quickly replied, "Allen… uh… Master Allen found griffin meat among the caravan's goods and a foul-smelling lure…"
---------------
"However, because they left in a hurry, they didn't uncover the true culprit..."
Lado's heart sank completely. There was no need to think any further.It must be those male witches. Fortunately, Professor Dyson encountered those two witchers.
Otherwise...
Lado shook his head, clearing his mind of distractions. The most crucial thing now was to confirm the threat of war coming from Aedirn. Taking a deep breath, Lado looked at Phyllis and asked, "Phyllis, go check if the news about Aedirn waging war is true?"
Phyllis glanced anxiously at the new king, who was frowning. Without asking how he was supposed to pry information from the male witches, he bowed and turned to leave.
"You all can go as well..." Lado waved his hand.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The attendants and guards in the study seemed to simultaneously sigh in relief as they all exited.
"Bang!"
The door was shut.
The study fell into complete silence.
Only Lado remained, lost in thought as he stared out into the pitch-black night where he could see nothing.
"No wonder today's coronation ceremony went so smoothly..."
Lado sighed deeply.
"The male sorceres of Ban-Ard are truly everywhere!"
Although he had sent Phyllis to verify the news, Lado knew that since Donato dared to speak up, the threat of war from Aedirn was certainly real. Given the current situation in Kaedwen, facing the threat from Aedirn...
Defeat was inevitable!
Unless...
[Your Highness, think it over; I'll come again tomorrow!]
Donato's words echoed in Lado's mind.
Think it over...
"What to think about?" Lado scoffed, "Should I think about whether to let go of my father's murder and compromise with Ban-Ard?"
Before he could finish speaking, thoughts of Dyson, the merchant convoy, the court wizards, Aedirn, war, intelligence, and Donato...
Countless pieces of information converged in his mind, and Lado suddenly thought of a possibility, his face turning pale in an instant.
Could it be... could it be that this war was precisely instigated by Ban Ard?
In the silence, the more Lado thought, the more he felt the possibility growing.
Gradually...
He felt as if he was a prey caught in a spider's web, the more he struggled, the more tightly he was ensnared, making it hard to breathe.
Looking up at the pitch-black sky shrouded in dark clouds, Lado murmured to no one in particular, "Father..."
"What should I do now?"
--------------
On the other side.
After leaving Vergen Fortress, Allen, Vesemir, and Mary made their way toward Ellander.
Due to the possible changes in the situation in Kaedwen brought about by the war, the three had not taken a single commission in these days, and apart from sleeping, they spent most of their time camping in the wilderness. It was quite a grueling ordeal.
However.
Even Mary hadn't uttered a word of complaint. Thus, it took only four days for the group to arrive at the border between Temeria and Aedirn—Flotsam Port. This was a port located in the Pontar Valley, established along the upper reaches of the river, surrounded by impassable wild forests.
The trio had also hired a few fishermen from the last village to paddle a small boat to bring them and their horses over.
After disembarking from the boat and paying the fishermen, Vesemir took a look around the port.
Although it was surrounded by rarely visited wild forests, Flotsam Port was particularly prosperous because many northern trade routes converged here.
In fact, many merchants concluded their large transactions here.
"Though it's still early, even if we reach Ellander today, the city gates will definitely be closed."
"So we'll rest here for the night, and find a merchant convoy heading to Ellander tomorrow. We should be able to arrive by noon," Vesemir said, leading the horses while glancing at the mud-covered Allen and Mary.
The two, looking quite disheveled, had no objections.
Especially Mary, who felt unbearable after riding for four consecutive days for the first time in her life.
"Let's hurry, Uncle Vesemir! Let's find a tavern!" Mary urged.
Vesemir nodded, leading the way ahead. He had been to Flotsam Port many times, and he could find a place to stay even with his eyes closed. However, unlike other towns. Due to the fact that most visitors were male merchants and guards, Flotsam Port actually had no inns, only a large tavern—the Blackbeard Tavern.
Indeed.
From the name alone, it was clear that this tavern was run by dwarves.
At this hour of the afternoon, Lunch had already ended, and the evening drinking revelries had yet to begin, so there weren't many people in the tavern. A dwarf with a long black beard stood behind the bar, bored, as he used a piece of burlap to wipe a chipped wine glass.
A few voluptuous human waitresses leaned against each other, drowsily napping by the tables and chairs, generously exposing their curves.
"Welcome, guests, are you here to stay or to eat and drink..."
Hearing the door open, the dwarf didn't look up, smoothly reciting his welcoming words.
"Blackbeard, don't you recognize me anymore?" A teasing voice came from the doorway, causing the dwarf to abruptly stop his actions and look at the newcomer.
"Vesemir?!!" The dwarf's deep voice suddenly boomed, "Hahaha, you old bastard! When did you arrive?"
"You better not trouble the pretty new waitresses I have here..."
Although there were plenty of curse words in his speech, the exaggerated grin on the dwarf's face indicated he was genuinely very happy to see Vesemir. Vesemir, whose face had been bright with a smile, suddenly froze upon hearing the dwarf's words.
"Ahem... cough, cough..."
He interrupted quickly, signaling with his eyes to the two young and disheveled figures beside him. The dwarf clearly noticed, and after scanning the two young yet scruffy faces, he smartly fell silent and curiously asked, "Who are these two?"
Before Vesemir could boast about them,
The dwarf, upon seeing Allen's blue cat-like eyes, suddenly squinted: "This is the new master witcher of the Wolf School, Allen, who is honored as the 'Blue Death' by Ban Ard, isn't it?"
"Huh? How did you know?" Vesemir asked curiously.
"Hahaha~" The dwarf stroked his shiny black beard and laughed heartily, "Vesemir, where do you think you are now?"
"This is Blackbeard's tavern."
"As long as it's news from the Northern Continent, no matter where it's from, it will reach my ears within a week."
"I knew about the Great Eater dying in the territory of those damned male witches from Ban Ard three days ago..."
Vesemir smacked his lips. Interrupted from his so-called "boasting" skill by the dwarf, the master witcher felt a bit displeased and was about to retort. However, suddenly, a commotion erupted outside the tavern, interrupting him.
"What's going on?"
Vesemir curiously looked at the dwarf, thinking there might be some event happening in Flotsam Port recently. But seeing the dwarf also looking confused, he immediately felt something was off.
"Buzz~"
"Buzz~"
The wolf emblem on Vesemir and Allen's chests buzzed.
At the same time, they focused on the noise outside.
Someone was shouting: "The Iron Knight flying in the sky..."
"The ominous skeleton soldiers..."
And also...
"The Wild Hunt!"
....…
📢20 advanced chapters on p@treaon📢
For advance chapters: p@treon.com/Uchiha_Itachi007 (replace @ with a)
238. The Wild Hunt and the Ants.
239. Is There Really Nothing We Can Do?
240. The Wild Hunt's Idea.
241. Family and Heroes?
242. Departure.