"Bang~"
The wooden door was closed.
"Allen, congratulations on your further progress in the Wolf School!"
"Your political acumen is even better than I imagined."
Vera couldn't help but feel a bit gratified.
As a master witcher, Allen's status was already at the pinnacle of the Wolf School. She thought the formulas could at most be exchanged for some practical magical tools. Unexpectedly, Allen managed to create a new position within the Wolf School.
Most importantly, this position perfectly aligned with the current state of the Wolf School and wouldn't be opposed by other witcher masters. Otherwise, no matter how close Allen's relationship was with Vesemir, it wouldn't have been agreed upon.
If Allen wasn't so young and still considered a "child of miracles," she would have thought that the prophetic dream was fabricated by him to seize power.
"I just want to survive together with the Wolf School!" Allen scratched his head and said sincerely.
The sorceress was silent for a moment after hearing this, then sighed.
"Snap!"
A heavy leather-bound book slowly floated from the alchemy table to the sorceress's hand. Allen walked over and sat down in a familiar spot.
"Rituals, like alchemy, are a profound branch of magic."
"Male mages from Ban Ard and female sorcerers from Aretuza often specialize in only one of these subjects for decades before becoming a full-fledged mage."
"Broad but shallow knowledge doesn't benefit mages in the early stages, and it's the same for a witcher like you."
"So..."
The sorceress paused and sincerely advised: "Since you have a talent for alchemy, why not focus on that and delve deeper before studying rituals."
Allen knew she was worried about him wasting his talent, and he felt a warm sensation in his heart. However, he firmly shook his head and said: "Vera, I have my reasons. I need to learn this subject."
"The Ritual: Flesh Golem" could synergize with [Witcher] to directly enhance his ability to hunt large monsters.
Today, after the thought of bringing home those big rock trolls popped into his head, Allen suddenly realized—"Witchers could also become big guys through rituals."
Although he didn't know the cost of the ritual yet, the thought excited him. Moreover, Vera wasn't always by his side, so it was best to learn as early as possible to minimize the demands of ritual study. He no longer wanted to go through the days of running around for little experience pearls while learning alchemy.
"Alright, I respect your choice."
The sorceress nodded and placed the leather-bound book on the alchemy table in front of Allen. The cover of the leather book was inscribed with the title in gilded script—"Common Rituals and the Minor Pentacle Banishment Ritual."
"In ritual magic, a person is divided into five layers: the physical body, the etheric body, the astral body, the mental body, and the spiritual body..."
----------
"Ding! Found a clue for the skill: [Ritual Magic]."
"Would you like to spend 10,000 small experience pearls to unlock the skill?"
Indeed!
The experience pearls required for ritual magic were the same as for alchemy. Hearing the familiar notification sound, Allen calculated his inventory. There were thirty-six experience pearls and four thousand one hundred small experience pearls, still two thousand two hundred small experience pearls short of the target.
"Good."
"Just a few more days of Vera's classes."
Allen thought. Then he focused entirely on Vera's lesson. Soon, three hours passed.
"Remember, the Minor Pentacle Banishment Ritual can only dispel minor ritual influences."
The sorceress closed the book.
[Ding! Would you like to spend 9,943 small experience pearls to unlock the skill?]
Only fifty-seven pearls were reduced in three hours, about the same as with alchemy. But Allen wasn't worried. He knew that as the course progressed, the number of pearls needed would decrease more rapidly.
"Snap!"
The leather-bound book flew back to its place.
"It's getting late. Let's stop here for today."
Allen nodded, stood up, and was about to leave when the thought of the cairn from this morning flashed in his mind.
"Vera, are there any rituals that require a large amount of flesh and neatly stacked monster heads?"
He paused, thought for a moment, and tentatively asked.
Although he had basically confirmed the swamp witch came from another world, that cairn still intrigued him.
"Mm!?"
Vera's gentle smile froze. She urgently and gravely asked: "Where did you see such a ritual? Did you enter the ritual site? Did you touch anything in the ritual?"
"Most importantly, did you kill anything near the ritual?"
Allen: ?
!!!
Crap! I think I did all three... Allen's pupils dilated in shock. He laughed dryly and tentatively asked: "Vera, if I entered the ritual site, touched the items in the ritual, and killed a few ghouls nearby, what would happen?"
The sorceress fell silent. She circled Allen, carefully inspecting him as if checking for something.
After a moment, she seemed to relax slightly, then asked with concentration: "Did anything strange happen at the ritual site?"
"No..." Allen also breathed a sigh of relief, but after a few seconds of recollection, he suddenly remembered something. "There was something odd. The heads stacked together seemed to be watching me."
"That's the Evil God watching you."
The sorceress's expression turned serious, repeating, "Allen, you've been marked by an Evil God!"
Evil God?
I'm only level 22!
I can't even compare to the Chief, and I'm already noticed by a god?
Allen hurriedly asked, "What should I do? What are the consequences?"
"Snap!"
A silver pendant appeared in the sorceress's hand. It was inscribed with three women, or rather three states of a woman. A carefree maiden, a nurturing pregnant woman, and a bent old crone.
Allen recognized these forms. They represented the three aspects of Melitele, the most widely worshipped deity in the Northern Realms. Allen instinctively took the pendant.
"Always wear this amulet, especially when you sleep at night..." the sorceress sternly instructed. "Also, don't use spells like portals."
Allen swallowed and dryly asked: "Is there no solution?"
Vera shook her head: "With Melitele's amulet, you won't have immediate problems, but to completely remove the mark, you need to stay in a major temple of the goddess for seven days."
Allen breathed a sigh of relief.
That's not too bad... Wait, does the Conjunction of the Spheres count as a portal spell?
If so, does that mean I can't even use the Conjunction of the Spheres?
What about the Drowner King in a few days?
I've already prepared everything.
Hoping for a loophole, Allen asked: "Vera."
"Does not using spells like portals mean I shouldn't enter a portal..."
"Or does it mean I can't even have a portal open in front of me?"
...…
📢20 advanced chapters on p@treaon📢
For advance chapters: p@treon.com/Uchiha_Itachi007 (replace @ with a)
112. Good Night!
113. May the Goddess Melitele Bless Me.
114. This World No Longer Needs Witchers.
115. Witcher or Monster?
116. The Lone Wolf Dies, the Pack Survives.