Francesca Findabair?
Hearing the name, the young witcher was stunned.
The Daisy of the Valleys, the most beautiful woman in the world, one of the five members of the core talent and skill association of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers, the Queen of the Elven Kingdom Dol Blathanna, one of the eight founders of the Lodge of Sorceresses...
So many titles and achievements converged in one person. What could such a significant figure be doing here?
Was she also here to find that human couple, just like him?
Allen found that unlikely.
After all, even if Francesca wasn't yet the Elven Queen, she was still the leader of the Free Elves and the daughter of Simlas Finn aep Dabairr, one of the last few Elven sages in the world. Her status was akin to that of a Iroyal princess among the elves.
What kind of human couple would be of such importance that it would require the future Elven Queen to take such a risk?
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Francesca asked, noticing the witcher staring at her in a daze. She shifted uneasily.
"Nothing, just thought the name sounded nice."
Allen snapped back to reality, quickly offering a perfunctory response before changing the subject: "I've already told you my purpose for being here. What about yours?"
"What are you doing here? And who is this Ida you mentioned?"
Francesca didn't answer the witcher directly but instead asked, "Where did you meet Ida?"
"The morning before last, at the gates of Ban Ard. At that time, the red-haired elf... uh... the one you called Ida was with a few other elves, being held in a cage by the king's guards and sorcerers from Kaedwen, being escorted into..."
"Impossible! How could Aen Saevherne be captured by mere humans?"
Francesca interrupted Allen, her disbelief causing her voice to rise. Startled, Allen quickly stepped forward, covering her mouth with his hand. He then peeked into the camp to make sure the guards hadn't noticed before exhaling in relief.
"Are you crazy? We're in a Kaedwen army camp!" Allen hissed in her ear, warning her. After she nodded, he slowly released his hand.
"S-sorry..." Francesca realized her mistake, apologizing softly before urgently asking, "How could Aen Saevherne possibly be captured by some humans?"
"That, I don't know. But when I saw her, that red-haired elf was indeed in a cage with the others, being taken into Ban Ard."
"Maybe she wasn't the Ida you were talking about..."
Francesca thought for a moment after hearing Allen's words, then shook her head: "Impossible. You're just a witcher, so you wouldn't know."
"Learning mind-reading itself is already difficult. To be able to send messages into other people's minds, only a few elven sorceresses can do that..."
Just a witcher? Well, excuse me... Allen rolled his eyes at her remark. But now that she mentioned it, that elf named Ida did seem somewhat familiar.
Where had he heard that name before?
"By the way, were they shackled with Dimeritium cuffs?" Francesca's question interrupted Allen's thoughts.
Dimeritium cuffs that suppress magic?
Allen thought for a few seconds before replying: "Those elves didn't seem to have any cuffs on their hands or feet... You still haven't answered my question. Who exactly is this Ida?"
"No Dimeritium cuffs..." Francesca was momentarily stunned by his words. Then, noticing the witcher's tone of dissatisfaction, she glanced down at the dagger still warm from his touch, hesitated for a few seconds, and said: "The red-haired elf who gave you the contract is Ida Emean aep Sivney, she is Aen Saevherne..."
Seeing the confused look on the witcher's face, Francesca paused for a moment before explaining: "Aen Saevherne means 'The Knowing One.' You can understand it as Ida Emean being a sage among the elves."
Allen suddenly remembered.
Ida Emean, like Francesca, was an experienced sorceress, a member of the Lodge of Sorceresses. In fact, Ida Emean was even older than Francesca. And if his memory served him right...
In the original work, Ida Emean, Francesca, and Margarita all voted in favor of allowing Ciri and Geralt to meet. So, as long as it didn't involve racial interests, these two elves were at least inherently good.
But...
Without Dimeritium shackles, the king's guards and sorcerers must have been unaware of Ida's true identity...
Why would such a powerful elven sorceress voluntarily be imprisoned and taken to Ban Ard at this time?
Allen recalled everything that had happened after descending the mountain.
Kings, nobles, sorcerers, witchers, and now elves...
How many forces were involved in this Wolf School and Cat School apprentice combat tournament...
"Additionally... I'm here to find an elf," Francesca's mask shifted as she spoke.
An elf?
Not a human couple?
Allen was surprised and quickly asked, "Who is this elf you're looking for? How do you plan to find them?"
"I can't tell you the elf's identity," Francesca shook her head. "I plan to wait until these despicable humans find her, then I'll take her back!"
"Is that the same task Ida gave you?"
"No way..."
"You're just a witcher; you don't know how to use portals. How would you take her back?"
"Unless..."
"Unless Ida tasked you with capturing me?"
Francesca, after rambling on, suddenly grew wary, clumsily stepping back a couple of paces and nearly tripping over a rock. She steadied herself awkwardly, glaring at Allen as if he were responsible for her near fall, and grumbled: "I won't go back until I find her, even if... even if I can't defeat you, you won't be able to capture me."
As she spoke, Francesca pulled out a sapphire necklace from her black nightwear's collar.
"Buzz~"
The wolf medallion vibrated slightly.
What is this?
The moment Allen saw the necklace, it felt as if countless invisible steel needles were pressing against him. The intense sense of danger made his heart race, and his right hand instinctively gripped the hilt of his steel sword. He took a deep breath, resisting the urge to draw his blade.
"Hey, I'm not here to capture you."
The needle-like sensation lessened.
"The contract Ida gave me has nothing to do with you, nor with the elf you're searching for."
The needle-like sensation vanished completely. The figure in front of him froze for a moment, a hint of embarrassment flashing in her eyes as she tucked the sapphire necklace back into her collar.
Allen breathed a sigh of relief, pausing briefly before continuing: "Her contract was to search for a human couple..."
Before he could finish, Allen noticed Francesca suddenly pulling at her necklace again. The sapphire instantly emitted a soft, hazy light. In the next moment, the needle-like sensation surged back, even stronger than before.
"Buzz!!"
The wolf medallion trembled violently, jumping out from his collar.
Damn it!
Did I say something wrong?
What a crazy woman Francesca was when she was young!
Allen's face changed drastically as he took a sudden step forward, his right hand reaching back.
"Clang!"
The steel sword was drawn. He quickly channeled the magic within him, crossing his hands to rapidly form the Quen sign. A faint purple, transparent, spherical shield formed from the ground up, closing over his head almost instantly.
"What was that noise?!"
A shout came from the direction of the camp on the other side of the rock pile, followed by the sound of approaching footsteps.
Damn it!
They noticed the commotion after all.
Allen cursed inwardly, glaring angrily at Francesca in front of him. But to his surprise, she seemed to apologize with a slight nod before her black mask trembled twice and then suddenly disappeared before his eyes. Seeing this miraculous scene, the young Witcher finally understood why Francesca, despite her poor close combat skills, had been able to press a dagger to his back without him noticing.
She could turn invisible!
"Thump, thump, thump~"
The footsteps of the guards grew closer and closer.
[Name: Allen]
[Health: 100%, Stamina: 310/310, Magic: 243/410]
With his magic only half-recovered, using the illusion gem would only maintain an illusion for about a minute, and it would be the most easily detectable kind, the rough kind that wouldn't stand up to scrutiny from the guards. So Allen gritted his teeth, not caring if the invisible Francesca might take this opportunity to attack him.
After dispelling the Quen magic shield, he sprinted toward the dark cave.
At the same time, the magic within him quickly surged. His body shimmered briefly, blending into the night.
A few seconds later,
A group of men arrived behind the rock pile, responding to the disturbance they had noticed.
The leading soldier held up a torch, shining it around, only to find the ground behind the rock pile empty. He turned and complained to the soldier behind him: "Tris, why are you so jumpy tonight?"
Guard Tris explained defensively, "But I definitely heard something here."
"But there's nothing here!"
"Wait!" The patrol captain interrupted the two's argument.
He crouched down and, by the light of the torch, carefully inspected the ground, then took the torch from the soldier beside him, gently waving it over the dirt.
In the dust, under the shifting light, a pair of footprints suddenly appeared.
"Stay alert!" The captain immediately shouted.
The spear-wielding patrol guards, their faces grim, raised their spears and backed up, forming a protective circle around the captain.
The captain, his face stern, held up the torch and, following the trail of footprints, took step after step forward, eventually stopping in front of the pitch-black cave.
The captain glanced at the deep, unfathomable cave, then turned and patted a soldier on the shoulder, saying: "Tris, congratulations, you might have earned yourself a promotion this time!"
"Heh heh... Did someone really break in, Captain?" Tris chuckled sheepishly, scratching his head.
"Yes! And not just one!"
The captain glanced at the ground, then ordered: "Tris, go to the tent and report the situation here to Sir Leit. The rest of you, stay with me and don't miss a single movement!"
"Yes, Captain!"
-------------
Inside the cave.
After being discovered, Allen had immediately dashed into the cave and was now hiding around a corner. He watched as the distant torchlight drew closer and then stopped at the entrance.
"Damn it, they found me after all!"
Allen scratched his head in frustration.
He knew he was in big trouble.
With the camp soldiers on high alert, even if he found that human couple, how could he escort them out of the camp?
Could he really fight his way through a camp of three or four hundred soldiers?
What a joke!
"Sorry!"
A voice as clear as a dripping spring echoed suddenly in the dark, silent cave, startling Allen.
"I didn't mean to!" the voice continued.
Allen's magic quickly surged within him, his hands crossing to form the Quen sign. Then, by the faint purple glow of the magic shield, he warily looked toward the figure in black not far away. Seeing Francesca standing three or four meters away, without any intention of continuing her attack, Allen suppressed his anger and asked: "You didn't mean to?"
"Why did you suddenly attack me if you didn't mean to?"
If it weren't for that sapphire pendant suddenly flashing with magical light, how could he have instinctively drawn his steel sword, alerting the guards?
Otherwise, Even with so many guards outside, as long as they were unaware of Allen's presence, No matter how difficult the task of escorting that human couple out of the camp was, he could have used the illusion gem to slowly get them out, rather than being put in such a passive position.
"I... I'm sorry," Francesca shrank back, "I got a bit emotional when I heard what you said just now and couldn't control the Calatrava Pendant..."
Allen was taken aback.
When using a magical item, a sudden emotional fluctuation could indeed affect its performance.
But...
Got emotional because of what I said?
What did I say?
"The human couple? You lost control because of the words 'human couple'?"
By the light of the Quen sign, Allen stared into Francesca's greenish eyes, slightly tinged with purple light. Sure enough, Those pure eyes trembled as soon as they heard "human couple."
But why?
Wasn't Francesca looking for an elf?
Allen was puzzled. But Francesca didn't answer Allen's question, instead turning her head to look into the darkness.
"Sorry, I can't tell you why, but our goals are the same."
"Witcher, I think... we should cooperate, don't you?"
Allen was silent.
I'm looking for humans, you're looking for an elf, our goals are the same?
And honestly, even if they were the same, he didn't want to cooperate with Francesca.
Though they had only interacted for a mere ten minutes, Allen had seen through her.
The future queen of Dol Blathanna, who would stir up the political scene, Francesca wasn't yet mature—she was just a reckless young elf. And judging by what she had said earlier, she seemed like a runaway princess, a true "Daisy of the Valleys" who had never experienced any hardships. Someone like her would only be a burden in any operation.
But...
But she could cast teleportation portals...
And she was the future queen of the elves...
With the camp's soldiers already on high alert, if he wanted to escort that human couple out, Allen needed a teleportation portal. And to establish good relations with the elves, to prepare for the future battle at Kaer Morhen.
He had to try to build a good relationship with the daughter of the leader of the Free Elves, the "Daisy of the Valleys."
So, Allen could only sigh inwardly and then nod bitterly: "Of course, we have no choice but to cooperate now, don't we?"
....…
📢20 advanced chapters on p@treaon📢
For advance chapters: p@treon.com/Uchiha_Itachi007 (replace @ with a)
167. That Damn Reckless Elf!
168. A Trap from Fifteen Years Ago.
169. Hurry Up and Teleport!
170. How Much Does a Wolf Pack Leader Cost?
171. Old Memories.