"Is the red-haired elf looking for that couple?"
Allen pondered for a moment, then sighed.
Although he really hoped it wasn't the case, since it would involve both sorcerers and the king.
In Ban Ard, going against these two forces would be very dangerous. If they slipped up and got exposed, the king's forces, which they might have had a chance to align with, could become the Wolf School's enemy. But with so many coincidences, plus the vague notion of "destiny" mentioned by the red-haired elf, he found it hard to convince himself to outright dismiss the idea.
"Thud~ Thud~ Thud~"
Heavy footsteps echoed, interrupting his thoughts.
A black wide-brimmed hat gradually appeared around the corner of the stairs, and Allen softly called out: "Master Vesemir, I have something to discuss with you."
Vesemir paused, glanced at the other tightly closed doors, and nodded before stepping into Allen's room.
"Bang~"
The door closed.
Allen looked seriously into those dark golden cat-like eyes and said, "Master Vesemir, do you remember the prisoner carriage we encountered yesterday morning at the city gate?"
"The one escorted by the royal guards and sorcerers, holding several elves?" Vesemir asked, puzzled.
Allen nodded, then recounted the encounter with the red-haired, silver-eyed elf and the request to protect a couple.
"The Wolf School adheres to neutrality…" Vesemir's expression instantly turned serious. "Hmm… Allen, what are your thoughts?"
Elves and humans—this request clearly involved choosing a side.
In the past, Vesemir might have outright refused such a troublesome request, but now...
He hesitated.
Allen was relieved to hear that Vesemir didn't immediately reject the idea. After a moment of contemplation, Allen carefully chose his words and said seriously: "Neutrality is, of course, important."
"But with the prophecy of the school's impending doom, if the king really is the mastermind, we must prepare in advance and gather every possible ally. Otherwise, we'll have to watch helplessly as Kaer Morhen is destroyed."
"And the elves, with their prowess in archery and magic, could precisely make up for our shortcomings in ranged combat."
Neutrality can vary in its interpretation.
In the past, Geralt and Vesemir's notion of neutrality, as mentioned in both the game and original stories, was their last remaining connection to the shattered school, aside from their companions. It was also a reluctant compromise in the face of the school's downfall and the hunters' lack of power.
They didn't have the strength to meddle in the continent's various conflicts, so they could only survive by maintaining a neutral stance. But the Wolf School was different at this moment.
Allen had read about the history of the Witcher schools in the library, how external forces' interference and attempts to draw them in led to their downfall. The current neutrality of the Wolf School was more like a principle to avoid outside influence, focusing their goals solely on hunting down monsters that threatened human existence. Its core aim was to ensure the school's survival.
But fundamentally, given the Wolf School Witchers' strength and their reputation from centuries of monster hunting, they had the ability not to remain neutral. Now, reality had proven that even if Witchers adhered to neutrality, other forces would still provoke them or even seek to destroy them.
At this point, any Witcher in the know would inevitably question this in their heart:
Does neutrality really work?
Vesemir fell silent upon hearing this.
Allen knew that even though Vesemir had been shaken by the events of the past, questioning the principle of neutrality within the Wolf School. A belief held for a lifetime isn't easily compromised, so Allen shifted the conversation to the subject of Viscount Hudson.
"Master Vesemir, when do you plan to visit Viscount Hudson's castle?"
"You want to go?" The Witcher master, who had been deep in thought, was taken aback. Then, as if realizing something, he furrowed his brows and said: "You think the couple that Viscount Hudson brought back to the castle ten years ago is the same couple the elf is looking for?"
"I don't know," Allen denied. "But I find it all too coincidental. Yesterday, the elf gave me this request, and today, we hear about a human couple."
Vesemir hesitated upon hearing this and advised, "There might be wraiths in the castle, and probably more than one."
Even as a Witcher master, Allen still had some gaps in his abilities.
At least in dealing with various monsters, his experience was far behind that of a Witcher who had already undergone trials and ventured out on their path. Especially with wraiths, which were particularly dangerous for an inexperienced Witcher.
If it were an ordinary Witcher on a journey, Vesemir would have agreed, knowing that he too had climbed up from life-and-death situations. But Allen was different.
Before leaving Kaer Morhen, all the other Witcher masters had, whether explicitly or implicitly, warned Vesemir to ensure the safety of the youngest Witcher master of the Wolf School.
Allen saw Vesemir's hesitation and reassured him: "Don't worry, Master Vesemir, I won't act recklessly."
"Besides, wraiths usually only appear at night; it's generally safe during the day."
"Hm? You've studied wraith behavior?" Vesemir was surprised to hear this.
"I read about it in the library…" Allen replied.
In his previous life, he had hunted countless wraiths, grinding for emerald dust and essence of wraith. These basic facts were already ingrained in his mind.
Seeing that Allen understood the risks and wasn't just blindly eager for the hunt, Vesemir nodded with relief and said: "Alright then, come with me!"
------------
"Captain Serio, why don't we take this chance to teach those freaks a lesson?"
"Yeah! Captain, I've been itching to see if those Witchers' swords are really faster than ours!"
Serio shook his head, leaning against a sycamore tree in the southeast corner of the inn, and said: "After all, they're guests invited by the king."
"Tch~" one of the knights snorted. "Guests, my foot. They're just lowborn freaks. Who knows what the king's thinking, treating these monsters so well."
"I heard the king gives five thousand orens every year to those freak schools, the Wolves and Cats."
"What? That much?" Another knight exclaimed, just about to ask for more details.
"Silence! Get under the shade!"
Suddenly, Serio stepped back a few paces, hiding behind the sycamore tree.
The two knights, well-trained, didn't question the command but instinctively retreated into the shadows as well.
"Thud~ Thud~"
The sound of wooden windows closing came from not far away. The three knights watched as the innkeeper sneakily poked his head out of the window, looked around, and then shut all the windows and doors of the inn.
"Captain Serio, they're definitely up to something!"
....…
📢20 advanced chapters on p@treaon📢
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146. The Castle Ruins.
147. Trapped.
149. You Know Viscount Hudson Too?
150. A Product Never Seen Before.
151. A New Commission.