The hazy moonlight cast shadows from the mottled trees, and after hearing a sound, the shadow in the corner of the wall shifted slightly before stepping out.
"Master, it's me..."
Mary hesitantly shuffled out.
"It's so late, what do you need?" Vera looked at her in surprise. "Did something happen with Yennefer?"
"No," Mary shook her head, "Yennefer has already fallen asleep after releasing all her chaotic magic..."
She paused for a second, as if gathering her courage: "Master, I want to become stronger!"
Stronger?
Vera looked at her apprentice with some confusion.
Although Mary had great talent, her research had mostly focused on alchemy and support magic. She had never shown such enthusiasm for combat magic, which most sorcerers were interested in.
Besides...
Vera glanced at the sky.
With Mary's usual temperament, she would never dare disturb her at this late hour when she should be resting.
What happened?
Out of curiosity, Vera didn't respond with her usual temper, which would have been to scold Mary and send her back to bed.
Tap tap tap...
The sorceress took two steps closer, and under the moonlight, she saw the timid yet determined look on Mary's slightly chubby face. The contrast of these two conflicting emotions on the same face piqued Vera's curiosity even more.
"Why do you want to become stronger?" Vera gently stroked her apprentice's smooth and delicate face. "You've never been interested in fighting before."
"A sorcerer shouldn't waste time on petty fights; you told me that yourself..."
Mary faltered at these words.
Vera had indeed said this, back when she was younger...
But now, she didn't think that way anymore. And feeling the warmth of Vera's hand on her cheek...
Mary felt a surge of courage knowing her master wasn't punishing her and was willing to listen. Her master was different now, much more gentle than she had been a few years ago. So,
Mary took a deep breath and said: "Master, I don't want to hold anyone back anymore."
"After spending about two weeks with Allen and Master Vesemir, I couldn't help at all in the two battles we encountered..."
"During the griffin fight, after casting a simple enhancement spell on them, all I could do was stand far away and watch as the two witchers dodged the griffin's claws and gales of wind…"
Recalling the scene, Mary closed her eyes, pausing for a second.
"When Allen... when Allen was carried into the sky by the griffin, as a sorcerer, I couldn't find a single spell to bring him down safely..."
"And then at Flotsam..."
"When Vesemir and Allen went out to search for the Wild Hunt, I was forced to hide with the other barmaids in the cellar, trembling next to the cold, moldy oak barrels..."
"Helplessly waiting, worrying, fearing..."
"Not knowing whether the next person to open the door would be a witcher or a monster..."
"In those few short minutes, countless scenes flashed through my mind, each leading to a terrible outcome..."
"I've even had the same nightmare repeatedly over the past few days..."
"In the dream, the cellar door was blasted open by a cold spell, and behind it stood a skeletal knight holding the heads of Vesemir and Allen, their eyes wide open in death..."
"They looked at me, asking why I hid in the cellar instead of saving them..."
Vera gently stroked Mary's golden hair. The overwhelming fear in Mary's eyes seemed ready to spill over.
"Master, our future enemies are legendary monsters like the Wild Hunt..."
"I... I..." Mary stammered, looking at Vera's red eyes with growing agitation.
She took another deep breath, calming herself slightly before continuing:
"I am Margarita Laux-Antille, heir of the Antille family, the best graduate of Aretuza, the youngest female sorceress since its founding, and the only apprentice of the Crimson Fox..."
"Master!"
"In every way, I shouldn't be this useless, reduced to being protected by others in such a helpless state..."
"Master, please help me!"
Mary looked at Vera with determination. Vera stared into Mary's blue eyes and suddenly chuckled, asking: "'Our enemies,' who do you mean by 'our'?"
"Of course, Allen and—" Mary began to answer instinctively, but stopped after a few words, her cheeks turning crimson as she complained, "Master!"
"What?" Vera smiled and gently pinched Mary's soft, delicate, and slightly warm face.
"What a good girl!"
"I wonder which man will be lucky enough to have you in the future?"
"Master!" Mary's face grew even redder.
"Alright, alright, I'm done teasing you!" Vera ruffled Mary's golden hair.
"And the matter of combat magic?" Mary asked tentatively.
"I'll teach you. You've learned enough alchemy and support magic anyway."
Mary's face lit up, her large eyes curving into crescents with joy.
For the first time, she truly felt how much kinder Vera's temper had become compared to before. She couldn't help but wonder what had caused such a change.
Was it Allen?
Or had Vera softened after reconciling with the head of the Wolf School at Kaer Morhen?
"What are you thinking?" Vera frowned.
Mary's mental strength had grown strong enough to sense external probing. Out of respect, Vera hadn't read Mary's thoughts in a long time. But at that moment, seeing Mary's daydreaming expression, Vera suddenly had the urge to read her mind.
"Nothing!"
Mary was startled and immediately cleared her head of any improper thoughts. Vera narrowed her eyes, closely studying Mary's expression, scaring her enough to break into a cold sweat.
"If it's nothing, then what are you still standing here for?"
"Aren't you going to teach me combat spells?" Mary blinked in confusion.
Vera rolled her eyes, giving her apprentice a look like she was a fool, and sighed: "At this time of night?"
"Are you sure?"
Mary stood there stunned for a second before realizing it was still the middle of the night, her face blushing again. She quickly apologized to Vera, then after setting a time for tomorrow's lesson, hurriedly ran back to her quarters.
Watching Mary's figure disappear into the darkness, a faint smile tugged at Vera's thin lips as if something had crossed her mind.
------------------
Elsewhere.
Led by Nennek and Lysa, Allen arrived at the sanctuary once again. This place, the closest to the goddess Melitele, didn't seem particularly divine on the surface. There was no soft holy light emanating from it, and because of the goddess's adherence to frugality, there weren't even any candles burning, unlike in other temples.
It was pitch black.
However, whether it was an illusion or not, Allen couldn't tell. But from the moment they left Ianna's residence, the wind that had been blowing steadily seemed to have gradually died down.
By the time they reached the sanctuary, the wind had stopped completely. And even Allen could feel that the temperature near the sanctuary was noticeably warmer than in the rest of the temple.
It seemed there was a hint of mystery here, but nothing more.
This didn't quite align with the reputation of the Melitele faith, the religion with the largest following in the Northern Continent.
Though during the day, while he hadn't been able to communicate directly with the goddess, Allen had experienced the wonders of the priests.
Unlike the original work, where they were more of a background presence and mainly showcased skills like herbalism and medicine that ordinary people could learn, the real-world Melitele faith truly possessed divine power and holy magic.
Allen still remembered those three faint, sacred figures in Ianna's pure white eyes.
"I wonder what kinds of holy magic the priests of Melitele are capable of?" he thought with curiosity.
"Master Allen, we're here..."
Nenneke's voice interrupted Allen's thoughts.
"Priest Nenneke, you can just call me Allen..." The witcher humbly thanked him, "Thank you for guiding me. The Melitele temple is so large; it's really easy to get lost..."
"Alright, then you can just call me Nenneke," Nenneke smiled warmly.
"You are the brave warriors who rid the Lady's children of evil. It's an honor to guide you."
"But the temple is indeed quite large. This land was a gift from the first Duke of Ellander to the Melitele faith. The Duke's wife and daughter were the Lady's most devoted followers..."
After exchanging a few words about the temple's history, Nenneke prepared to leave.
"It's getting late. We'll take our leave now. As instructed by the High Priestess, we'll bring your breakfast tomorrow morning."
Allen nodded. "Thank you for your trouble!"
Just as he finished speaking, Allen suddenly remembered what Ianna had mentioned earlier and asked: "By the way, Nenneke."
"Do you know what the High Priestess meant when she talked about my plans for the next few days?"
"I'm not too sure," Nenneke shook his head, "But it should be something beneficial for you."
"Well, alright." Allen shook his head helplessly. "The High Priestess sure loves keeping secrets..."
Nenneke chuckled and didn't seem to mind Allen's comment.
"Allen, do you have any other questions? If not, we'll take our leave."
"Wait!"
Before Allen could answer, Lysa suddenly spoke. She looked at Nenneke with a pleading expression and said: "Sister Nenneke, I have a few more things I'd like to say to Allen..."
Nenneke glanced at Lysa and, after a few moments of thought, looked toward Allen. Seeing the witcher nod in agreement, she then reminded: "Don't stay up too late; it may disturb the guest's rest."
"It won't take long, just a few words," Lysa promised with a smile.
With that, Nenneke nodded, bowed to Allen once more, and then left.
Although Lysa wasn't exactly a stranger to Allen, this was only their second meeting today. So, after Nenneke left, the atmosphere became slightly awkward.
"What do you want to talk about?" After watching Nenneke disappear into the temple gardens, Allen smiled and looked at the familiar stranger. "If it's gratitude, there's really no need..."
"After all, Henselt died because of the celestial convergence and the Dark Sun's curse. It had nothing to do with us."
Lysa didn't respond to this. She kept her gaze on the garden where Nenneke had just walked, then shook her head after a moment: "Gratitude, of course, but not for Henselt. It's for saving my life in the mine..."
"I'm sorry," Lysa looked a bit embarrassed at this point. "Back then, I was blinded by hatred..."
"I never once thanked you for saving my life..."
"And when you crushed my ambition of becoming a witcher, I secretly hated you for many days..."
As she spoke, Lysa deeply bowed to Allen. "I'm truly sorry!"
Allen, startled by the girl's sudden action, hesitated for a moment before gently helping her back up.
"There's no need... no need..."
"I never blamed you..."
"Although I haven't been through what you have, I'm in no position to speak of understanding. But if I were in your shoes, it'd be hard not to be consumed by hatred."
"Thank you... thank you..." Lysa's voice choked slightly, but after a few deep breaths, she managed to hold back her tears.
"Yes, hatred even made me leave without saying goodbye to my brothers," Lysa said with some sadness. "I don't know if I'll ever have the chance to see them again..."
Allen fell silent at these words.
Lysa's sorrow wasn't due to distance but rather the harsh reality that few ever survived to become witcher apprentices.
Lysa realized this too and quickly apologized: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to criticize the Wolves..."
"It's fine!" Allen interrupted her, hesitated for a few seconds, then comforted her: "Sadia said her children were all miracles, so they should all survive the witcher trials."
"Hopefully," Lysa nodded, forcing a smile.
It was obvious.
She didn't truly believe in Sadia's claim about miracle children, but she didn't want to make Allen uncomfortable.
"You've really changed a lot!" Allen observed Lysa carefully and sighed. "It seems like the Melitele temple suits you well."
The rebellious girl who once defied everyone was now a quiet, sweet priestess who was considerate of others' feelings—such a stark contrast in just a month.
"People change,"
The little priestess smiled sweetly, showing two adorable tiger-like teeth for the first time in front of him.
"But everyone in the temple has treated me so well..."
"High Priestess Ianna has no airs about her. The first time we met, she gave me two candies..."
"Nenneke too, patiently answers all my questions. And when she has time, she even helps me with my lessons..."
"And the others in the temple..."
"Besides when my parents were still alive, this past month has been the happiest time of my life."
"That's good to hear..." Allen smiled warmly, infected by the little priestess's joy.
But then something crossed his mind, and he glanced toward the garden where Nenneke had disappeared, asking: "If Nenneke is so good to you, why did it seem like you were trying to avoid her when you talked to me?"
Hearing this, Lysa's expression suddenly became serious. She glanced around cautiously again and whispered: "It's precisely because Nenneke has been so kind to me that I need to avoid her..."
Huh?
Why?
Allen was curious.
But before he could ask, Lysa reached into her robe and pulled out a folded piece of paper, handing it to him.
The witcher took it and examined it carefully.
Judging by the texture in the candlelight, it was clearly an expensive piece of chiffon paper.
Paper itself was already costly, but this chiffon paper was something only wealthy nobles could afford.
With a soft rustle, under Lysa's gaze, Allen gently unfolded the paper.
Written on it in noble script were several names.
The first name was:
"Donato Rogrides…"
....…
📢20 advanced chapters on p@treaon📢
For advance chapters: p@treon.com/Uchiha_Itachi007 (replace @ with a)
251. Who's Calling Me?
252. The Destroyer of the World.
253. What Wolf Doesn't Eat the Lamb at Its Doorstep?
254. The Echo of Falka.
255. Where's the Ghoul?